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University  of  California. 

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OT  THl 


'TJirlTBBSITl 


His  GloriouH  Appt'iiriui;.  —  Enu 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


HIS  GLORIOUS  APPEAEIE 


AN   EXPOSITION   OF 


MATTHEW  TWENTY-FOUR 


JAMES  WHITE 


REVISED  AND  ILLUSTRATED 


"  What  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? " 
—  Disciples. 

"  When  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the 
doors."  —  Jesus. 


yjf^  Of  TBDI 
^ITIVBXISIT  7/'  Eleventh  Edition.  -  100th  Thousand. 


%ffOT,'^ 


REVIEW  AND  HERALD  PUBLISHING  CO. 

Batti^e  Creek,  Mich. 

1895 


CONTENTS 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

INTRODUCTORY 5 

Divine  Judgments  Always  Preceded  by  Warning  .        .  5 

CHRIST'S  PROPHECY .        .11 

Persecution  and  False  Prophets        .....        21 

Iniquity  Abounds .25 

The  End 27 

WHEN  SHALL  THESE  THINGS  BE  ? 31 

WHAT  SHALL  BE  THE  SIGN  OF  THY  COMING  ?  .  .  34 
Days  Shortened  for  the  Elect's  Sake  .        .  ,        .40 

Lo  Here,  and  Lo  There .         40 

The  Signs  of  Christ's  Coming 44 

"The  Stars  Shall  Fall"        .        .        .        .        .        .  49 

"The  Powers  of  Heaven  Shall  be  Shaken  "  .        .        .        .62 

"Sign  of  the  Son  of  Man"     . 63 

Parable  of  the  Fig-tree 67 

The  Day  and  Hour         •.        .        , 69 

Noah's  Time  and  Ours 74 

Peace  and  Safety 79 

The  Final  Separation .        .86 

Watch 86 

The  Faithful  and  Wise  Servant  89 

The  Evil  Servant   ..........        92 

CONCLUSION      , 93 


Frontispiece    .... 
Christ  Weeping  over  Jerusalem 
Jesus  on  the  flount  of  Olives 
Ancient  Jerusalem    . 
riartyrdom  of  John  Huss    . 
The  Crucifixion 
The  Saviour's  Ascension     . 
Destruction  of  Jerusalem 
St.  Bartholomew's  flassacre 
The  Pope  Taken  Prisoner 

[4] 


PAGE. 

Dark  Day  of  May  19,  1780                 .  46 

The  Palling  Stars     ....  50 
Earthquake  at  Lisbon          .        .        .52 

riodern  Cyclone         ....  54 

Assassination  of  President  Carnot  .  56 

Chicago  Riot 60 

A  Forest  Fire 70 

The  Day  of  Wrath   ....  78 

Peace  on  Earth 84 

All  His  Holy  Angels  with  Him     .  94 


fflST^IOOS  flPPEflRING: 


AN  EXPOSITION   OF 


IVIATTHEW   TWENTY=KOUR, 


INTRODUCTORY. 

"  Surely  the  Lord  God  will  do  nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secret 
unto  his  servants  the  prophets."    Amos  3  :7. 

"I TO  truth  of  inspiration  can  be  more  clearly  demonstrated 
\  than  that  God  reveals  his  designs  to  his  prophets,  that 
^  men  and  nations  may  be  prepared  for  their  accomplish- 
ment. Before  visiting  with^ judgments,  God  has  uniformly 
sent  forth  warnings  sufficient  to  enable  the  believing  to  escape 
his  wrath,  and  to  condemn  those  who  have  not  heeded  the 
warning.  This  was  the  case  before  the  flood.  The  wicked- 
ness of  the  world  had  become  very  great.  Every  imagi- 
nation of  the  thoughts  of  the  hearts  of  men  was  only  evil. 
It  would  seem  that  they  had  forfeited  all  claims  for  con- 
sideration. Violence  and  corruption  filled  the  earth,  and 
the  only  way  to  eradicate  evil  was  to  destroy  it  with  its 
workers.  But  before  doing  so,  the  world  must  be  warned  of 
the  impending  doom  ;  and  there  was  found  one  man  who 
would  engage  in  the  work.  Noah  had  faith  in  God,  and 
preached  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  the  message  of 

[5] 


6  HIS   GLORIOUS   APPEARING  I 

warning   and  salvation.      Flis  work   also   testified   with   his 
words. 

"By  faith  Noah,  being  warned  of  God  of  things  not  seen  as  yet, 
moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his  house  ;  by  the 
which  he  condemned  the  world."    Heb.  11  : 7. 

At  a  later  period,  when  the  nations  had  again  become 
sunken  in  idolatry  and  crime,  and  the  destruction  of  wicked 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  was  determined,  the  Lord  said, — 

"Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  that  thing  which  I  do;  seeing  that 
Abraham  shall  surely  become  a  great  and  mighty  nation,  and  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed   in  him?"    Gen.  18:17,  18. 

And  due  notice  was  given  to  righteous  Lot,  who,  with 
his  daughters,  was  preserved  ;  and  none,  even  in  that  guilty 
city,  perished  without  due  warning.  Lot  evidently  warned 
the  people  ;  and  in  thus  communing  with  them,  was  "  vexed 
with  the  filthy  conversation  of  the  wicked."  2  Peter  2  : 
7,  8.  His  righteous  life  had  been  a  rebuke  to  them  ;  and 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  holy  example  of 
Abraham  in  his  worship  of  the  true  God  was  known  to 
them.  He  had  at  one  time  been  their  saviour,  and  rescued 
their  captives  and  spoil  from  the  victorious  enemy  who  was 
carrying  them  away.  But  when  Lot  warned  his  friends  of 
the  approaching  doom,  "he  seemed  as  one  that  mocked." 
Gen.  19  :  14.  They,  like  the  antediluvians,  persisted  in  sin, 
and  drank  of  the  wrath  of  God. 

At  a  subsequent  time  the  sins  of  Nineveh  rose  to 
heaven,  and  Jonah  was  sent  to  bear  to  that  proud  capital  the 
startling  message,  "  Yet  forty  days  and  Nineveh  shall  be 
destroyed."  The  consciences  of  those  sinners  told  them  the 
message  was  true;  and  from  the  least  of  them  to  the 
greatest  they  humbled  themselves,  and  the  overhanging 
judgment  was  averted. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  7 

Before  Christ  commenced  his  earthly  mission,  John  the 
Baptist  was  sent  as  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness, "Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord."  By  this  means 
the  expectation  of  the  people  was  raised,  and  doubtless 
many  were  through  it  led  to  accept  of  salvation,  while 
the  generation  at  large  was  condemned  for  rejecting  the 
light. 

Our  Saviour  in  his  time  saw  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
just  in  the  future  of  that  generation,  and  faithfully  warned 
the  people,  foretelling  signs  by  which  it  might  be  known 
when  the  desolation  thereof  was  nigh.  Luke  21 :21.  Such 
is  the  testimony  of  inspiration  respecting  the  dealings  of 
God  with  his  people  in  past  ages. 

All  who  accept  the  Bible  as  the  inspired  word  of  God 
acknowledge  that  he  has  been  very  faithful  in  warning 
people  in  past  ages  of  impending  judgments  and  other  events 
which  affected  their  eternal  welfare.  Such  having  been 
the  divine  plan  in  relation  to  past  events,  we  would  cer- 
tainly be  justified  in  anticipating  such  warnings  of  Christ's 
second  coming  as  would  comport  with  the  importance  of 
the  event.  But  when  we  come  to  regard  the  future,  and 
especially  our  own  immediate  future,  the  incredulity  of 
very  many  is  at  once  aroused. 

But  what  are  the  facts  in  the  case?  Can  anything  be 
learned  from  the  Bible  relative  to  the  time  of  the  second 
advent  ?  This  is  a  grave  inquiry  ;  and,  from  the  very  nature 
of  the  subject,  is  worthy  of  close  investigation,  and  a 
candid  answer.  It  is  a  matter  of  painful  regret  that  many, 
under  the  influence  of  popular  prejudice,  have  decided  that 
the  period  of  the  second  advent  is  a  secret,  hidden  with 
the  Lord.  While  these  can  scarcely  be  reached  with  this 
subject,  as  long  as  they  remain  under  the  influence  of  those 
who  denounce  all  investigation  of  it  as  prying  into  the 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUB.  d 

secrets  of  the  Almighty,  there  is  still,  we  believe,  a  larger 
class  who   wait  for   evidence  before  deciding. 

We  accept  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  from  heaven. 
What  God  has  revealed  in  that  book,  let  no  man  call  a 
mystery,  or  a  secret  of  the  Almighty.  "  The  secret  things 
belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God  ;  but  those  things  which 
are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and  to  our  children  forever." 
Deut.  29 :  29.  If  the  sacred  Scriptures,  in  a  most  clear 
and  harmonious  manner,  point  out  the  signs  of  the  approach 
of  that  great  event,  and  if  there  is  evidence  that  ''it  is  near, 
even  at  the  doors,"  the  subject  at  once  assumes  great  im- 
portance. 

When  the  disciples  inquired,  "What  shall  be  the  sign  of 
thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? "  Jesus  did  not 
reprove  them  for  inquiring  into  this  matter,  nor  tell  them 
that  it  was  purposely  hidden  from  all  men  ;  but  he  answered 
their  question  in  the  most  definite  manner. 

The  simple  fact  that  the  Lord  mentions  signs  of  his 
second  advent,  is  the  best  proof  possible  that  his  people 
were  not  to  remain  ignorant  of  the  relative  nearness  of  the 
event.  Add  to  this  his  injunctions  to  watchfulness,  and  the 
blessings  which  he  pronounces  upon  those  who  are  awake 
and  watching  at  his  coming,  and  it  becomes  a  certainty 
that  he  would  not  leave  his  people  ignorant  of  the  proximity 
of  that  event.  Paul  also  says  that  "  unto  t/iem  that  look /or 
him  shall  he  appear  the  second  time  without  sin  unto  salva- 
tion." Heb.  9  :  28.  And  that  a  crown  of  righteousness 
will  be  given  "unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing.'' 
2  Tim.  4  :  8. 

With  these  assurances  we  may  look  for  plain  and  em- 
phatic tokens  of  the  Saviour's  second  coming. 


AN    EXPOSITION    6l^^AiATTHE\^iwENTX:-F0ltE.  H 

CHRIST'S  PROPHECY. 

Probably  no  other  chapter  of  the  Bible  speaks  more 
fully,  and  more  definitely,  upon  the  subject  of  the  second 
advent,  than  Matthew  24,  in  Christ's  own  words.  We  in- 
vite the  attention  of  the  candid  reader  to  a  brief  explanation 
of  the  entire  chapter. 

"Verse  1  :  "And  Jesus  went  out,  and  departed  from  the  temple  ;  and 
his  disciples  came  to  him  for  to  show  him  the  buildings  of  the  temple." 

Jesus  had  been  addressing  the  multitude,  in  the  presence 
of  his  disciples.  He  had  reproved  the  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  for  their  sins,  and  had  declared,  in  the  previous 
chapter,  the  doom  of  the  Jews,  their  city,  and  their  temple. 
The  disciples  supposed  that  the  temple  would  stand  for- 
ever, and  they  called  the  attention  of  Christ  to  its  magnifi- 
cence and  strength,  and  to  the  great  stones  that  entered 
into  the  structure.  On  this  point  the  historian  of  those 
times,  Josephus,  says:  ''Now  the  temple  was  built  of 
stones  that  were  white  and  strong,  and  each  of  their  lengths 
was  twenty-five  cubits,  their  height  was  eight,  and  their 
breadth  about  twelve." — ''''Antiquities^^''  hooJc  xv,  chap.  xi. 
If  we  compute  a  cubit  at  twenty  inches,  we  shall  be  able  to 
gain  some  idea  of  the  size  and  "  manner"  of  these  stones. 

Verse  2  :  "And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  See  ye  not  all  these  things? 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  an- 
other, that  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 

Verse  3 :  "And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples 
came  unto  him  privately,  saying,  Tell  us,  when  shall  these  things  be  ? 
and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world?" 

This  statement  from  the  Master  could  not  but  deeply 
interest  the  disciples.  And  it  matters  not  whether  they 
supposed  that  the  destruction  of  the  temple,  the  coming  of 


12  *  HIS  GLORIOUS  appearing: 

Christ,  and  the  end  of  the  age,  would  all  occur  at  the  same 
time,  or  at  different  periods,  since  Christ,  in  his  answer  in 
this  chapter,  has  distinctly  spoken  of  each  separately,  and 
has  given  each  its  place  in  the  prophetic  history  of  events. 
If  it  were  their  impression  that  the  overthrow  of  the  temple 
and  the  end  of  the  world  would  occur  at  the  same  time,  it 
by  no  means  proves  that  this  would  be  the  case.  As  the 
Scriptures  show,  up  to  the  time  of  the  out-pouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  their  ideas  upon  many 
points  were  crude  and  inaccurate.  Take  as  proof  of  this  the 
parable  which  the  Lord  spake  when  he  was  going  into 
Jerusalem.  Luke  19.  They  thought  that  the  kingdom  of 
God  should  immediately  appear.  To  correct  this  impres- 
sion, the  parable  of  the  nobleman  was  spoken.  If  they 
understood  the  parable  at  the  time  when  it  was  spoken,  it 
did  not  fully  eradicate  the  impression  from  their  minds, 
as  is  proved  by  what  they  did  when  they  entered  Jeru- 
salem. We  cannot  believe  that  they  would  have  hailed 
him  as  the  Son  of  David,  and  rejoiced  before  him  as  a  King 
in  his  triumph,  if  they  had  realized  that  he  was  going  into 
the  city  to  be  condemned  and  crucified  as  a  malefactor. 
Palm  branches  and  shouts  of  triumph  did  not  attend  the 
steps  of  the  lowly  and  the  condemned. 

John  admits  for  himself  and  Peter,  after  they  had  seen 
the  empty  sepulcher,  that  "they  knew  not  the  scripture, 
that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead."     John  20:9. 

Again,  after  his  resurrection,  Jesus  reproved  two  of  his 
disciples,  who,  though  they  had  trusted  that  he  would  re- 
deem Israel,  were  then  sad  and  disheartened.  They  did 
not  then  understand  that  Christ  ought  "to  have  suffered 
these  things,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory."  The  suffering 
part  was  still  a  mystery  to  them.  And  some  of  the  apostles 
were  so  slow  to  realize  that  which  he  had  spoken  to  them, 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  13 

that  they  could  hardly  be  persuaded  that  he  was  indeed 
risen  from  the  dead.  And  after  he  had  been  with  them 
full  forty  days,  speaking  to  them  of  the  things  pertaining 
to  the  kingdom,  they  did  not  yet  understand  ''the  times 
and  the  seasons,"  and  therefore  asked  him,  "Lord,  wilt 
thou  at  this  time  restore  again  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ? " 

However  the  matter  may  have  been  entertained  in  the 
minds  of  the  disciples,  it  is  evident  that  their  query  con- 
sisted of  two  distinct  questions  in  the  mind  of  the  Saviour. 
These  questions  relate,  first,  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ; 
and,  second,  to  Christ's  second  coming  at  the  end  of  the 
world  or  age.  They  were  distinctly  answered  by  our 
Lord ;  not,  however,  before  the  promiscuous  multitude ; 
but  on  the  occasion  of  a  private  interview  with  his  dis- 
ciples. Christ  here  speaks  to  his  disciples ;  hence  his 
words  in  this  prophetic  discourse  are  addressed  especially 
to  the  church. 

Verses  4,  5:  "And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Take 
heed  that  no  man  deceive  you.  For  many  shall  come  in  my  name,  say- 
ing, I  am  Christ,  and  shall  deceive  many." 

Jesus  knew  the  hearts  of  men,  and  that  many  impostors 
would  arise,  and  deceive  multitudes.  He  here  warns  his 
disciples,  and  guards  them  against  the  deceptions  of  cor- 
rupt and  ambitious  men.  Such  was  the  general  expectation 
of  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah  ampng  the  Jews,  that 
many  would  set  up  the  claim  that  they  were  the  Christ,  to 
carry  out  selfish  purposes,  or  to  gain  notoriety,  and  the 
credulous  people  would  be  easily  led  into  the  deception, 
and  then  be  destroyed  for  sedition.  We  are  informed  that 
in  the  days  succeeding  those  of  Christ,  impostors  arose  in 
great  numbers.  Josephus  tells  us  of  an  Egyptian  false 
prophet  who  led  30,000  men  into  the  desert  to  show  them 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOtTR.  15 

signs,  and  then  brought  them  to  Jerusalem  as  if  to  attack 
the  city.  He  caused  great  pillage  and  destruction  in 
Judea,  but  in  the  time  of  battle,  ran  away,  leaving  his  fol- 
lowers to  tlie  exasperated  B^omsms.—^^^  Wars  of  the  Jews^^'' 
hook  ii^  chxip,  xiii. 

In  the  former  part  of  the  second  century  Cazibee  set 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  Jewish  nation  and  proclaimed 
himself  their  long-expected  Messiah.  To  facilitate  the 
success  of  his  bold  enterprise  he  changed  his  name  to 
that  of  Barchocheba,  alluding  to  the  Star  foretold  by 
Balaam.  Adrian  raised  an  army,  and  sent  it  against  him. 
He  retired  into  a  town  called  Bither,  where  he  was  besieged. 
Barchocheba  was  killed  in  the  siege,  the  city  was  taken, 
and  a  dreadful  havoc  succeeded.  The  Jews  themselves 
allow  that,  during  this  short  war  against  the  Romans  in  de- 
fense of  this  false  Messiah,  they  lost  five  or  six  hundred 
thousand  souls. — Bucl^s  Dictionary. 

Dr.  A.  Clarke  says,  on  the  authority  of  Josephus,  that 
'^a  few  years  afterward,  under  the  reign  of  Nero,  while 
Felix  was  procurator  of  Judea,  impostors  of  this  stamp 
were  so  frequent  that  some  were  taken  and  killed  almost 
every  day."  And  at  intervals  since  then  the  Jews  who 
are  all  the  time  expecting  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah 
have  been  repeatedly  the  victims  of  cruel  deception. 

Verse  6  :  "And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars.  See 
that  ye  be  not  troubled:  for  all  these  things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the 
end  is  not  yet." 

It  is  proper  that  we  should  consider  what  is  meant  by  the 
term  **the  end,"  used  in  this  verse;  in  verse  14,  "then 
shall  the  end  come;"  and  in  verse  3,  "the  sign  of  thy 
coming,  and  the  end  of  the  world."  In  the  first  place,  it 
may  be  unhesitatingly  claimed  that  the  term  does  not  refer 
to  the  end  of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  whicfe=tonaittated  at 

/TmJlVlSRSITYB 


16  HIS  GLORIOUS  appearing: 

the  crucifixion,  nor  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which 
occurred  about  forty  years  later.  Because,  first,  Jesus 
treated  the  question  concerning  the  destruction  of  the 
temple  and  that  referring  to  his  coming  and  the  end  of  the 
world  as  relating  to  two  distinct  events,  widely  separated  in 
time.  Second,  the  signs  which  were  to  be  premonitory  of 
the  end  did  not  transpire  before  the  destruction  of  the  tem- 
ple. Third,  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  the  close  of  pro- 
bation, the  judgment,  the  resurrection,  and  the  end  of  sin, 
death,  and  mortality,  are  frequently  and  prominently  asso- 
ciated together  in  the  Bible  as  constituting  the  most  impor- 
tant epoch  in  human  history.  To  limit  this  thrilling  dis- 
course to  the  local  and  long  past  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
would  be  to  rob  it  of  its  force  and  grandeur.  Not  only 
would  the  twenty-fourth  of  Matthew  which  we  are  now 
studying  be  stultified,  but  very  much  of  the  life  and  power 
of  the  Scriptures  would  be  sacrificed  by  such  a  course. 

As  to  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "the  end  of  the  world," 
it  may  consistently  be  translated  "the  end  of  the  age,"  and 
in  the  margin  of  the  Ke vised  Bible  it  is  rendered  "  the  con- 
summation of  the  age."  For  an  inspired  definition  of  the 
term,  let  the  reader  turn  to  Matt.  13  :  38-40  and  its  context, 
where  the  same  words  are  used  and  repeated  in  the  orig- 
inal :  — 

"  The  tares  are  the  children  of  the  wicked  one  ;  the  enemy  that 
sowed  them  is  the  devil ;  the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world  ;  and 
the  reapers  are  the  angels.  As  therefore  the  tares  are  gathered  and 
burned  in  the  fire  ;  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this  world.  The  Son  of 
man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather  out  of  his  king- 
dom all  things  that  offend,  and  them  that  do  iniquity ;  and  shall  cast 
them  into  a  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth." 

From  Kev.  14  :  14-16  we  learn  that  the  harvest  of  the 
earth    and    the    second    coming   of    Christ    are   identical. 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  17 

So  that  by  no  possible  means  could  it  be  established  that 
the  "end  of  the  world  "  means  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem. Further  evidence  is  found  in  Matt.  28  :  20  where  the 
same  expression,  both  in  the  original  and  in  the  translation, 
is  used  :  **Lo  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world."  But  no  one  would  have  the  audacity  to  claim 
that  this  promise  expired  in  a.  d.  TO,  as  it  must  have 
done  if  those  questions  of  the  disciples  and  the  subsequent 
discourse  of  Christ  related  only  to  the  impending  doom  of 
the  temple  and  city. 

Verses  7,  8:  "For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom 
against  kingdom ;  and  there  shall  be  famines,  and  pestilences,  and 
earthquakes,  in  divers  places.     All  these  are  the  beginning  of  sorrows," 

Wars,  famines,  pestilences,  and  earthquakes  have  oc- 
curred all  along  since  these  words  were  spoken.  There- 
fore, these,  as  they  have  ever  existed,  cannot  be  regarded 
as  the  especial  signs  of  the  end.  It  may  be  claimed,  how- 
ever,  with  a  good  degree  of  consistency,  that  the  Scriptures 
teach  that  these  calamities  would  abound  in  the  last  days  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  constitute  a  sign  of  the  approaching 
Judgment.  We  wish  to  keep  the  important  fact  distinctly 
before  the  mind,  that  the  sacred  Scriptures  do  teach  when 
men  may  not,  and  when  they  may,  look  for  the  second 
appearing  of  Christ. 

The  sacred  writers  have  so  uniformly  associated  such 
judgments  as  war,  famine,  pestilence,  and  earthquake,  with 
the  last  Judgment,  that  the  disciples  would  be  in  danger  of 
concluding  that  the  end  would  immediately  follow  the  first 
appearance  of  these  calamities ;  hence  the  caution  given  : 
** These  things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet." 
Here  the  disciples  were  clearly  taught  that  they  should 
not  expect  the  end  in  their  day.     This  fact  is  worthy  of  the 


18  HIS    ULOEIOUS    APPEARING  : 

candid  attention  of  those  who  object  to  the  proclamation 
of  the  second  advent  of  Christ  in  the  form  of  an  especial 
message.  These  sometimes  assert  that  it  was  right  for  the 
disciples  to  look  for  Christ  in  their  day,  and  that  it  has  been 
scriptural  and  right  for  all  Christians  to  look  for  the  second 
appearing  of  Christ  in  their  time,  from  the  days  of  the 
chosen  twelve  to  the  present  time.  And  they  decide  that 
no  more  can  be  learned  and  believed  upon  this  subject  in 
our  time  than  by  the  Christians  of  past  generations,  and 
that  the  public  mind  should  not  now  be  moved  upon  this 
great  question,  any  more  than  in  all  past  time  since  the 
first  advent  of  Christ. 

We  have  seen  that  this  position  is  incorrect  so  far  as 
the  early  disciples  were  concerned.  They  are  directed  to 
the  distant  future  as  the  time  when  their  Lord  should  come. 
They  are  assured  that  they  need  not  be  troubled  at  hearing 
of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars;  "for  all  these  things  must 
come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet."  Our  Lord  then 
guides  the  minds  pi  his  disciples,  as  we  shall  see  in  the 
examination  of  this  chapter,  down  over  the  time  of  the  great 
apostasy,  and  the  long  period  of  the  rule  of  papal  Rome, 
before  mentioning  a  sign  of  his  second  advent.  He  does 
not  intimate  that  his  people  during  these  long  periods  may 
expect  the  end.  No,  not  once.  But  when  he  comes  to  a 
later  time,  the  Lord  names  signs  in  the  sun,  in  the  moon, 
and  in  the  stars,  and  adds  :  "  When  ye  shall  see  all  these 
things,  know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the  doors." 

Mark  this  :  Our  Lord  does  not  mention  wars,  famines, 
pestilences,  and  earthquakes  as  signs  of  his  second  advent ; 
but  rather  as  events  of  common  occurrence  all  the  way 
through  the  Christian  age,  which  must  exist  before  the 
end.     And  history  attests  the  fact  tluif  tliose  calamities  have 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTirFW    TWENTY-FOUR.  19 

covered  at  least  seventeen  centuries.     The  following  is  from 
a  work  of  Noah  Webster,  LL.  D.,  published  in  1T99  :  — 

"  By  famine  and  sword,  580,000  Jews  were  destroyed  between 
A.  D.  96  and  a.  d.  180. 

"In  Antioch,  from  A.  d.  96  to  a.  d.  180,  earthquakes  destroyed 
13  cities  and  over  100,000  lives. 

"In  Rome,  a.  d.  169.  pestilence  destroyed  10,000  daily. 

"In  Rome,  a.  d.  187,  pestilence  appeared  and  continued  three 
years. 

"In  London,  a.  d.  310,  by  famine,  40,000  died. 

"  In  A.  D.  446,  September  17,  an  earthquake  shook  down  the  walls 
of  Constantinople,  and  57  towers  fell. 

'*  In  Rome,  a.  d.  539,  in  one  district  50,000  died. 

"  In  Antioch,  a.  d.  588,  an  earthquake  killed  60,000. 

"In  A.  D.  542,  the  plague  killed  10,000  in  one  day  in  Turkey. 

"In  A.  D.  679,  a  severe  famine  in  England,  three  years. 

"In  A.  D.  717,  in  Constantinople,  300,000  died  of  plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1005,  earthquakes  three  months,  followed  by  pestilence, 
by  which  it  is  said  one  third  of  the  human  race  died. 

"In  A.  D.  1077,  in  Constantinople,  so  many  died  by  plague  and 
famine  the  living  could  not  bury  them. 

"In  A.  D.  1124,  in  Italy,  there  was  such  famine  that  the  dead  lay  in 
the  streets  not  buried  ;  and  in  England  one  third  of  the  people  died  of 
plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1294,  in  England  thousands  died  of  famine. 

"In  A.  D.  1346,  in  London,  50,000  died  of  plague  and  famine,  and 
were  buried  in  one  grave-yard  ;  in  Norwich,  50,000  ;  in  Venice,  100,000; 
in  Florence.  100,000;  in  Eastern  nations,  20,000,000.  It  was  called 
the  black  death. 

"  In  A.  D.  1352,  in  China,  900,000  died  of  famine. 

"In  A.  D.  1427  in  Dantzic,  80,000  died  of  plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1570,  in  Moscow,  200,000  died  of  plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1572,  in  LyoDS,  50,000  died  of  plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1625,  in  London,  35,000  died  of  plague. 

"  In  A.  D.  1656,  in  Naples,  300,000  died  of  plague. 

"  In  A.  D.  1665,  in  London,  68,000  died  of  plague. 

"In  A.  D.  1755,  an  earthquake  destroyed  the  city  of  Lisbon,  killing 
50,000.  In  Mitylene,  and  the  Archipelago,  it  shook  down  2000  houses. 
It  shook  all  the  Spanish  coast.  The  plajjruc  followed,  which  (Icstroycd 
150,000  persons  in  Constantinople." 


[  .o 


MARTYRDOM  OF  HUSS. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW    TWENTY 

Doubtless  the  figures  in  the  above  list  should  in  some 
instances  be  corrected  to  correspond  with  facts.  But,  taken 
as  a  whole,  they  do  not  nearly  represent  the  ravages  of 
death  in  their  enormity.  For  instance,  the  Encyclopedia 
Britannica  states  that  Hecker  estimates  the  celebrated 
''black  death"  of  the  fourteenth  century  in  the  different 
epidemics,  to  have  swept  away  one  fourth  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Europe,  or  25,000,000  people  ! 

PERSECUTION  AND  FALSE  PROPHETS. 

Verses  9,  10:  "Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted, 
and  shall  kill  you  ;  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for  my  name's 
sake.  And  then  shall  many  be  offended,  and  shall  betray  one  another, 
and  shall  hate  one  another." 

Here  is  a  brief  description  of  the  afflictions  and  martyr- 
dom of  the  church  of  Christ.  Thousands  of  the  faithful 
followers  of  Jesus  were  most  cruelly  put  to  death  by  pagan 
Rome  ;  yet  the  prophecy  doubtless  applies  more  particularly 
to  the  long  period  of  papal  persecutions,  in  which  not  less 
than  fifty  millions  of  Christians  were  put  to  death  in  the 
most  cruel  manner  that  wicked  men  and  demons  could  de- 
vise. In  these  verses  we  are  brought  down  over  the  long 
period  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
near  the  present  generation.  These  verses  being  parallel 
with  verses  21  and  22,  this  subject  will  be  noticed  again. 

Verse  11  :  "And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  shall  deceive 
many." 

A  true  prophet  is  one  who  speaks  for  God.  The  spirit 
of  prophecy  is  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  Rev.  19  :  10.  It  is 
Jesus  Christ  speaking  through  human  lips  or  pen  to  his  peo- 
ple. Pseudo^  or  false  prophets,  speak  through  the  agency 
of  wioked  spirits  and  the  power  of  Satan,  Their  work  is 
to  deceive.     And  while  this  is  true  of  those  who  are  under 


[22] 


THE  CRUCIFIXION. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  23 

the  direct  inspiration  of  superior  beings,  good  or  evil,  it  is 
true  in  a  more  restricted  sense  that  consecrated  teachers  of 
divine  truth  may  be  regarded  as  God's  prophets  ;  and 
teachers  of  error  may  properly  be  called  false  prophets. 
True  and  false  prophets  may  be  known. 

The  prophets  of  God  are  teachers  of  purity,  reprovers 
of  sin,  and  faithful  in  warning  the  people  of  coming  dan- 
gers. The  duties  of  those  whom  God  calls  to  speak  in 
his  great  name  are  clearly  expressed  by  the  sacred  writers. 
We  here  quote  from  three  of  them  :  — 

IsA.  58  :1  :  "Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet, 
and  show  my  people  their  transgression,  and  the  house  of  Jacob  their 
sins." 

Joel  2:1  :  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet  in  Zion,  and  sound  an  alarm 
in- my  holy  mountain.  Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  tremble; 
for  the  day  of  the  Lord  cometh,  for  it  is  nigh  at  hand." 

2  Tim.  4  : 1,  2  :  "I  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing 
and  his  kingdom  ;  preach  the  word  ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  sea- 
son; reprove,   rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine." 

False  prophets  do  not  reprove  the  people  for  their  sins, 
and  do  not  warn  them  of  coming  danger;  but  they  proclaim 
peace  to  the  sinner.  Their  teachings  lead  from  God  and 
his  word,  and  are  such  as  please  the  unconverted  mind. 
The  inspired  writers  have  also  spoken  definitely  of  the  tes- 
timony and  work  of  false  prophets.  We  here  give  several 
for  example  :  — 

EzE.  13:9,  10:  "And  mine  hand  shall  be  upon  the  prophets  that 
see  vanity,  and  that  divine  lies.  They  shall  not  be  in  the  assembly 
of  my  people,  neither  shall  they  be  written  in  the  writing  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  neither  shall  they  enter  into  the  land  of  Israel;  and  ye  shall 
know  ihat  I  am  the  Lord  God.  Hocausc,  oven  bpcause  tlicy  hnvo 
seduced  my  people,  saying,  Peac<' ;  and  thore  was  no  peace ;  and  one* 
built  up  ;i  wall,  and  lo,  others  daubed   it  with   untempered  mortar." 


24:  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  : 

Jer.  6  :13,  14:  **For  from  the  least  of  them  even  unto  the  great- 
est of  them,  every  one  is  given  to  covetousness;  and  from  the  prophet 
even  unto  the  priest,  every  one  dealeth  falsely.  They  have  healed 
also  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  slightly,  saying,  Peace, 
peace,  when  there  is  no  peace." 

Jer.  14  il3,  14:  'Then  said  I,  Ah,  Lord  God  !  behold,  the  proph- 
ets say  unto  them,  Ye  shall  not  see  the  sword,  neither  shall  ye  have 
famine  ;  but  I  will  give  you  assured  peace  in  this  place.  Then  the  Lord 
said  unto  me,  The  prophets  prophesy  lies  in  my  name.  I  sent  them 
not,  neither  spake  unto  them." 

After  stating  the  duty  of  the  faithful  servant  of  God 
to  preach  the  word,  to  reprove,  to  rebuke,  and  exhort  with 
all  long-suffering  and  doctrine,  the  apostle   says :  — 

"For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine; 
but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap  to  themselves  teachers,  hav- 
ing itching  ears  ;  and  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth, 
and  shall  be  turned  unto  fables."     2  Tim.  4:3,  4. 

That  time  has  now  fully  come.  The  people  choose 
pleasing  fables,  which  do  not  disturb  them  in  their  sins, 
rather  than  the  reproving,  searching  declarations  of  the 
word  of  God.  They  love  to  be  deceived  by  the  teachings 
of  false  prophets,  and  "say  to  the  seers,  See  not;  and  to 
the  prophets.  Prophesy  not  unto  us  right  things,  speak  unto 
us  smooth  things,  prophesy  deceits."     Isa.  30  :  10. 

"Shall  I  not  visit  for  these  things?  saith  the  Lord.  Shall  not  my 
soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this?  A  wonderful  and  horrible 
thing  is  committed  in  the  land  ;  the  prophets  prophesy  falsely,  and  the 
priests  bear  rule  by  their  means  ;  and  my  people  love  to 'have  it  so;  and 
what  will  ye  do  in  the  end  thereof?  "     Jer.  5  :  29-31. 

The  ears  of  the  people  are  filled  with  the  pleasing  fables 
of  the  world's  conversion,  a  good  time  coming,  and  that 
we  are  just  entering  the  golden  age.  The  threatenings  of 
God's  word  on  tlie  proud,  the  haughty,  the  vain,  the  rich, 
the  sinners  in  Zion,  and  those  out  of  Zion,  are  kept  back  by 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  25 

the  false  teachers  of  these  times.  Many  of  them  even  dare 
to  teach  that  the  moral  code  of  the  ten  commandments  is 
abrogated.  And  as  the  result  of  such  a  course,  and  of  such 
teaching,  we  see  in  the  professed  church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
that 

INIQUITY  ABOUNDS. 

Verse  12  :  "And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many 
shall  wax  cold." 

It  is  evident  that  both  the  abounding  of  iniquity  and  the 
waxing  cold  of  the  love  of  many,  are  fulfilled  in  the  pro- 
fessed church  of  Jesus  Christ.  Men  must  first  experience 
the  love  of  God  and  of  heavenly  things  before  that  love 
can  grow  cold.  Hence,  common,  unconverted  sinners  are 
not  here  referred  to  as  apostatizing.  And,  again,  the  preva- 
lence of  iniquity  in  the  unconverted  world  alone,  would 
stimulate  the  church  to  greater  diligence,  and  more  god- 
liness, instead  of -being  a  cause  of  apostasy.  Hence,  the 
iniquity  here  mentioned  is  in  the  very  heart  of  the  professed 
church,  diffusing  its  chilling  influence  through  the  whole 
body.  As  the  result,  the  love  of  many  has  grown  cold. 
With  this,  agree  the  words  of  the  apostle  :  — 

"  This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall  come. 
For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous,  boasters,  proud, 
blasphemers,  disobedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without 
natural  affection,  truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  incontinent,  fierce, 
despisers  of  those  that  are  good,  traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers 
of  j)leasure8  more  than  lovers  of  God  ;  having  a  form  of  godliness, 
but  denying  the  power  thereof  ;  from  such  turn  away."    2  Tim.  3  : 1-5. 

Here  is  a  catalogue  of  eighteen  sins,  all  resting  upon 
those  having  a  form  of  godliness.  These  are  not  infidels 
and  common  worldly  sinners,  for  they  have  not  a  form  of 
godliness ;  but  they  are  men  -and  women  professing  to  be 


[26J 


THE  ASCENSION. 


* 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  27 

followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  although  they  make  a 
profession  of  piety  as  high  as  heaven,  these  very  sins  lie  at 
their  doors.  And  by  reason  of  their  example,  and  their 
chilling  influence,  many  are  led  from  the  humble  path  to 
heaven,  and  their  love  waxes  cold. 

THE  END. 

Verse  13  :  "But  he  that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same  shall 
be  saved." 

As  before  noted,  the  word  end^  whenever  used  in  this 
chapter,  refers  to  the  end  of  the  age,  and  to  nothing  else. 
It  is  the  end  associated  in  the  New  Testament  with  the 
second  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  it  be  urged  that  the 
word  "end"  has  reference  to  the  close  of  mortal  life,  then 
we  reply  that  the  disciples  did  not  ask  their  Lord  (see  verse 
3)  when  they  should  die;  but  "what  shall  be  the  sign  of 
thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? "  Neither  does 
tlie  Lord  speak  of  death,  when  he  says  (see  verse  6),  "  But 
the  end  is  not  yet."  And  it  would  be  strange  indeed  to 
suppose  that  the  word  "end"  (verse  14)  meant  death.  If 
any  think  such  a  position  admissible,  let  them  read  it  into 
the  text,  as  follows :  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world,  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations,  and   then  shall  death  come.     Absurdity ! 

Verse  14:  "And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached 
in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations,  and  then  shall  the  end 
come," 

This  is  the  first  sign  of  the  end  given  by  our  Lord  in 
answer  to  the  question,  "  What  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy 
coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? " 

But  it  is  robbed  of  its  distinct  power  by  that  interpre- 
tation, sometimes  given,  by  whicli  it  is  assumed  that  all  men 
will    rc'ooive   tlie   gospel    and    ])e  converted,  and  that  tlien 


28  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEABING  *. 

instead  of  the  end,  there  will  ensue  a  thousand  years  in 
which  all  shall  know  the  Lord.  After  this  long  period 
of  peace  and  safety,  the  end  will  come.  How  much  is 
assumed  on  this  text  will  appear  when  we  consider  that  the 
text  does  not  say  that  every  individual  will  even  hear  this 
gospel  of  the  kingdom.  It  does  not  state  that  any  one 
will  be  converted  and  made  holy  by  it.  And  we  find  it  far 
from  intimating  that  the  world  will  be  converted  and  remain 
so  one  thousand  years.  We  have  no  reason  to  conclude 
that  greater  measure  of  success  is  implied  in  this  text  than 
that  which  has  always  attended  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 
While  a  few  have  believed  and  received  it,  the  great  mass 
of  men  have  passed  it  by  unheedingly.  The  text  simply 
states:  First,  "And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
^preached  in  all  the  world;"  second,  "For  a  witness  unto 
all  nations;"  third,  "And  then  [not  one  thousand  years 
later,  but  then]  shall  the  end  come." 

But  to  what  does  the  term  "gospel  of  the  kingdom" 
refer?  The  query  sometimes  rises  as  to  whether  the  gospel 
in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  word,  or  a  gospel  pe- 
culiarly related  to  the  second  coming  of  Christ  is  here 
meant.  No  such  distinction  is  to  be  drawn.  There  neither 
is,  has  been,  nor  will  be  more  than  one  gospel.  "But 
though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any  other 
gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto 
you,  let  him  be  accursed."     Gal.  1  :  8. 

The  gospel,  then,  in  this  instance,  is  the  same  as  Paul 
preached,  which  was  the  "power  of  God  unto  salvation  to 
every  one  that  believeth."  But  in  Kev.  14:6  and  Y  we 
read  :  — 

"  And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the 
everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to 
every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  sa\ing  with  a  loud 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  29 

voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him;  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is 
come  ;  and  worship  him  that  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and 
the  fountain  of  waters." 

The  gospel  is  here  called  the  "everlasting  gospel," 
and  must  necessarily  be  referred  to  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
In  connection  with  the  preaching  of  that  gospel,  was  the 
proclamation  that  the  judgment  hour  had  come.  Not  that 
this  message  was  appended  to  the  gospel,  but  the  angel  who 
had  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  said,  "Fear  God  .  .  . 
for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come." 

The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  embraces  all  truth  relating 
to  salvation.  The  warnings,  counsel,  invitations,  promises, 
precepts,  prophecies,  or  whatever  the  Lord  would  have  the 
people  hear,  —  the  gospel  embraces  them  all.  In  the  days 
of  Noah,  the  gospel  included  repentance,  faith,  obedience, 
with  the  promises  of  grace  and  mercy;  it  also  included  the 
warning  of  the  impending  judgment.  And  the  only  way  to 
escape  that  judgment  was  through  the  gospel.  So  here  in 
Revelation  we  have  the  gospel  with  all  it  implies,  including 
the  message  of  Christ's  second  coming  and  kingdom  and 
the  judgment.  Closely  associated  -with  this  message  are 
two  others  as  given  in  Rev.  14  :  8-12.  The  first  is  merged 
into  these.  Then  immediately  following  their  proclamation 
we  have  the  following  scene  :  — 

"And  I  looked  and  behold  a  white  cloud,  and  upon  the  cloud 
one  sat  like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  having  on  his  head  a  golden  crown, 
and  in  his  hand  a  sharp  sickle.  .  .  .  And  he  that  sat  on  the  cloud  thrust 
in  his  sickle  on  the  earth  ;  and  the  earth  was  reaped."     Rev.  14  :  14  -  16. 

In  Rev.  14:  6-16,  then,  we  learn  what  is  the  meaning 
of  the  term  "gospel  of  the  kingdom."  It  is  the  gospel, 
and  it  embraces  the  admonitions  and  instructions  relative 
to  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  And  now  tliat  wo  have 
reached  that  time,  the  completer  i»(>s|Ml  embraces  tlic  i»o<)(l 


30  HIS  GLORIOUS  appearing; 

news  of  the  coming  kingdom  with  appropriate  warnings 
and  teachings.  Our  Saviour  sajs  it  "shall  be  preached 
in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations."  The  Reve- 
lator  says  the  message  is  to  be  preached  "to  every  nation, 
kindred,  tongue,  and  people."  When  this  shall  be  done, 
the  end  will  come. 

The  world-wide  proclamation  of  the  soon  coming  of 
Christ  was  inaugurated  about  1832.  Since  that  time,  the 
work  of  extending  its  warning  voice  has  gone  on.  A  most 
remarkable  feature  of  this  movement  is  the  fact  that  in 
different  countries  individuals  were  moved  upon,  almost 
simultaneously,  to  study  the  prophecies  and  proclaim  the 
nearness  of  the  end,  although  they  knew  nothing  of  what 
was  being  done  by  others.  In  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
in  Great  Britain,  Norway,  Sweden,  Germany,  and  in  Asia, 
a  profound  interest  in  this  subject  was  created,  and  people 
were  led  to  expect  the  early  appearance  of  Jesus.  Since 
that  time  clearer  light  has  appeared  in  connection  with 
the  other  messages  of  Revelation  14,  and  still  the  work  is 
onward.  Wherever  the  light  of  the  Bible  has  penetrated, 
the  good  news  of  the  coming  Saviour  is  now  going.  Not 
only  so,  but  messengers  bearing  this  gracious  warning  are 
rapidly  finding  their  way  into  the  dark  portions  of  the  earth. 
Evidence  of  its  extent  and  progress  might  be  expressed 
in  facts  and  figures,  but  the  rapid  development  of  the 
work  would  soon  leave  these  in  the  rear.  Let  it  suffice  to 
say  that  at  present  the  everlasting  gospel  is  being  preached 
and  published  in  all  the  leading  languages  and  countries  of 
the  world.  The  work  has  encircled  the  globe.  It  is  rapidly 
reaching  every  nation.  We  now  wait  for  the  approaching 
end  ;  for  when  the  purpose  of  God  in  the  proclamation 
of  the  coming  reign  of  Christ  shall  be  fully  accomplished, 
then  the  end  will  come. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  31 

Thus  far  in  this  discourse  Jesus  has  passed  over  the 
entire  Christian  dispensation.  Beginning  with  a  warning 
against  the  deceptions  that  were  to  succeed  his  own  times, 
he  next  describes  wars  and  disasters,  persecutions,  apos- 
tasy, the  perils  of  the  last  days,  and  closes  with  a  distinct 
sign  of  the  end. 


WHEN  SHALL  THESE  THINGS  BE? 

Verses  15-20:  "When  ye,  therefore,  shall  see  the  abomination  of 
desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand  in  the  holy  place 
(whoso  readeth,  let  him  understand)  ;  then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea 
flee  into  the  mountains  ;  let  him  which  is  on  the  housetop  not  come 
down  to  take  anything  out  of  his  house  ;  neither  let  him  which  is  in 
the  field  return  back  to  take  his  clothes.  And  woe  unto  them  that  are 
with  child,  and  to  them  that  give  suck  in  those  days  !  But  pray  ye 
that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on  the  Sabbath  day." 

Our  Lord  having  in  verses  5-14,  passed  over  the  important 
events  in  the  Christian  age  down  to  the  end,  goes  back  and 
introduces  in  verse  15  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  in  an- 
swer to  the  inquiry,  "When  shall  these  things  be?"  Luke's 
version  of  this  language  is,  "When  ye  shall  see  Jerusalem 
encompassed  with  armies,  then  know  that  the  desolation 
thereof  is  nigh."  Luke  21  :  20.  By  this  we  know  that 
the  terra  "abomination  of  desolation"  refers  to  the  Roman 
array.  This  desolating  power  is  spoken  of  by  Daniel  as 
follows :  — 

"  And  the  people  of  the  p.'incp  that  shall  come  shall  destroy  the  city 
and  the  sanctuary;  and  the  end  thereof  shall  be  with  a  flood,  and  unto 
the  end  of  the  war  desolations  are  determined.  .  .  .  And  for  the  over- 
spreadinj,'of  abominations  he  shall  make  it  desolate,  even  until  the  con- 
Kummution,  and  that  determined  shall  be  i)our<'d  ui>on  the  desolate. '" 
Margin,  "desolator."     Dan.  9  :  26,  27. 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  "       33 

Here  is  a  clear  prophecy  of  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem by  the  Roman  armies.  Our  Lord  referred  to  the  book 
of  Daniel,  and  taught  his  disciples  to  read  and  understand 
it ;  and  when  they  should  see  take  place  what  was  there 
predicted,  they  must  make  their  escape. 

.  It  would  seem  to  be  impracticable  to  flee  from  a  city 
after  it  was  encompassed  with  armies  ;  but  our  Saviour  did 
not  speak  at  random.  Josephus  tells  us  that  Cestius,  the 
Roman  general  who  first  led  the  attack  upon  Jerusalem,  be- 
came dismayed  at  the  apparent  forces  and  strength  of  the 
city,  and  after  having  surrounded  the  city  raised  the  siege. 
The  historian  says:  "He  retired  from  the  city,  without 
any  reason  in  the  world." — "TFars,"  look  ii^  chap.  xix. 
And  in  the  first  words  of  the  succeeding  chapter  he  further 
states  :  "After  this  calamity  had  befallen  Cestius,  many  of 
the  most  eminent  Jews  swam  away  from  the  city,  as  from 
a  ship  when  it  was  going  to  sink." 

Dr.  A.  Clarke,  commenting  on  verse  16,  says  :  — 

"  This  counsel  was  remembered  and  wisely  followed  by  the  Chris- 
tians afterwards.  Eusebius  and  Epiphanius  say,  that  at  this  juncture, 
after  Cestius  Gallus  had  raised  the  siege,  all  who  believed  in  Christ  left 
Jerusalem  and  fled  to  Pella,  and  other  places  beyond  Jordan." 

The  flight  of  the  Christians  of  Judea  to  the  mountains 
would  be  attended  with  difiiculties.  And  their  subsequent 
condition  would  be  that  of  hardship  and  suffering.  The 
Lord  knew  this,  and  gave  them  the  instructions  and  warnings 
necessary.  The  statement  of  verse  19  was  given  to  save 
them  from  the  sorrows  of  unnecessary  woe.  That  was  a 
time  of  trouble. 

Jesus  recognizes  the  existence  of  the  Sabbath,  in  verse 
20,  as  late  as  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  as  verily  as  he 
does  the  seasons  of  the  year.     TJie  Sabhath^  is  the  "uSlS^^  :-. 


34  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  : 

term  of  both  Testaments  to  designate  the  very  day  on  which 
Jehovah  rested  after  the  cVeation,  the  day  upon  which  he 
put  his  blessing,  and  which  he  set  apart  for  man.  Not 
only  in  this  instance  does  our  Saviour  show  his  regard  for 
the  sacred  day  of  rest,  but  in  his  life  he  kept  it  (see  Luke 
4:16);  in  his  teaching  he  upheld  it,  and  taught  its  true 
character  (Matt.  12:12);  and  when  .he  lay  in  the  tomb, 
the  devout  women  reverently  rested  "according  to  the 
commandment."  He  himself  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
he  declares  that  it  was  made  for  man.  Mark  2  :  27,  28. 
Jesus  does  not  speak  of  the  Sabbath  as  being  only  a 
seventh  part  of  time,  or  one  day  in  seven,  and  no  day  in 
particular.  The  Sabbath  is  the  term  used,  referring  to 
the  last  day  of  the  first  week  of  time,  and  to  the  last  day  of 
each  subsequent  week. 

It  is  thus  that  Jesus  answered  the  question,  "When  shall 
these  things  be  ?  "  He  now  proceeds  to  answer  the  second 
great  question. 


WHAT  SHALL  BE  THE  SIGN  OF  THY 
COMING? 

Verse  21  :  "For  then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  was  not 
since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be." 

It  is  not  surprising,  perhaps,  that  upon  a  casual  read- 
ing some  should  conclude  that  this  verse  had  its  fulfillment 
at  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus.  It  was  a  time  of  great 
suffering,  and  the  verse  follows  so  closely  those  which  relate 
to  the  destruction  of  the  city,  that  this  explanation  suggests 
itself  readily  enough.  But  for  good  reasons  we  cannot 
accept  that  application  of   this  verse.      Jesus  is  giving   a 


I 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW     1  WENTY-FOUR,  35 

continuous   prophecy.     The  narrative  proceeds  from   verse 
to  verse  along  the  line  of  the  entire  dispensation. 

The  '* great  tribulation"  mentioned  in  verse  21  is  that 
of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  not  the  tribulation  of  the  Jews 
at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  We  offer  the  following 
reasons  for  so  deciding  :  — 

1.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  tribulation  of  the  Christian  church, 
especially  under  the  reign  of  the  papacy,  was  greater  than 
God's  people  had  suffered  before  "since  the  beginning  of 
the  world."  The  tribulation  of  the  Christian  church  has 
been  greater  than  it  will  ever  be  again.  True,  a  time  of 
trouble  "such  as  never  was,"  spoken  of  in  Dan.  12:1,  is 
coming  upon  the  wicked;  but  we  find  in  the  same  verse  this 
blessed  promise,  "And  at  that  time  thy  people  shall  be 
delivered."  The  tribulation  of  the  Jews  at  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  was  not  greater  than  the  world  will  ever 
witness.  The  vials  of  Jehovah's  unmingled  wrath  are  yet 
to  be  poured  out,  not  upon  the  people  of  one  nation  only, 
but  upon  the  guilty  people  of  all  nations. 

"  The  slaiu  of  the  Lord  shall  be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of  the 
earth  even  unto  the  other  end  of  the  earth  ;  they  shall  not  be  lamented, 
neither  gathered,  nor  buried."     Jer.  25  :  33. 

2.  If  the  tribulation  be  applied  to  the  Jews,  or  to  any 
other  class  of  unbelieving  men,  it  cannot  be  harmonized 
with  Dan.  12  : 1,  which  speaks  of  the  time  of  trouble  such 
as  never  was,  when  Michael  shall  stand  up.  Certainly 
there  cannot  be  two  times  of  trouble  at  different  periods, 
greater  than  ever  was  or  ever  would  be.  Therefore  the 
''tribulation"  spoken  of  in  Matt.  24  :  21,  29,  applies- not  to 
the  Jews,  but  to  the  church  of  Christ,  extending  through 
the  1260  years  of  papal  persecution;  and  the  "trouble'' 
mentioned  in  Dan.  12  : 1,  to  the  unbelieving  work],  to  be 
cxju'rieiiccfl  by  them  in  tlio  future, 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW  MASSACRE 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHKW    TWENTY-FOUR.  -W 

3.  The  period  of  tribulation  was  shortened  for  the  elect's 
sake.  This  cannot  refer  to  the  Jews,  for  their  house  had 
been  pronounced  desolate.  They  were  left  of  God  in  their 
hardness  of  heart  and  blindness  of  mind.  Says  Paul,  "Lo, 
we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  The  elect  were  the  followers  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  where  were  they  when  tribula- 
tion was  upon  the  Jews  ?  —  They  had  fled  to  the  mountains. 
It  is  absurd,  then,  to  say  that  the  "days  of  tribulation  of 
the  Jews  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  were  shortened  for  the 
sake  of  the  elect,  who  had  fled  from  the  place  of  tribulation. 
Moreover  the  tribulation  that  came  upon  Jerusalem  was 
not  restrained  or  modified,  but  continued  until  the  city  was 
destroyed  and  its  people  were  given  to  the  sword  and  to 
captivity. 

4.  The  connection  between  verses  20  and  21  shows  that 
the  tribulation  was  to  commence  with  those  Christians  who 
were  to  flee  out  of  the  city.  "But  pray  ye  that  your  flight 
be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on  the  Sabbath-day ;  for  then 
shall  be  great  tribulation."  Our  Lord  here  speaks  of  the 
tribulation  which  his  people  would  suffer  from  the  time  of 
their  flight  onward.  We  follow  them  in  their  flight  to 
the  mountains,  and  then  pass  along  down  through  the 
noted  persecutions  of  the  church  of  God  under  pagan  Rome, 
and  we  see,  indeed,  tribulation.  And  when  we  come  to 
the  period  of  papal  persecutions,  we  see  them  suffering  the 
most  cruel  tortures,  and  dying  the  most  dreadful  deaths  that 
wicked  men  and  demons  could  inflict.  This  last  period  is 
especially  noted  in  prophecy. 

The  prophet  Daniel  saw  the  papacy,  its  blasphemy,  its 
ignorance,  its  work  of  death  on  the  saints,  and  its  duration 
a-    ;i    ])er8ecuting  power,    under   the  symbol   of    the   little 

llMl-,,. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  39 

**  And  he  shall  speak  great  words  against  the  Most  High,  and  shall 
wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  think  to  change  times  and 
laws ;  and  they  shall  be  given  into  his  hand  until  a  time  and  times  and 
the  dividing  of  time."     Dan.  7  :  25. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  "  a  time  and  times  and  the 
dividing  of  time"  is  1260  years.  The  proof  of  it  may 
readily  be  seen  by  comparing  Rev.  12  :  14,  6  ;  13  :  5,  with 
the  scripture  just  quoted.  In  these  passages  we  learn  that 
'^time,  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time  "  is  equivalent  to  a 
thousand  two  hundred  and  threescore  days,  which  equals 
three  and  one  half  Biblical  years,  or  "  forty  and  two 
months.-'  Applying  the  scriptural  rule  of  interpretation,  a 
day  for  a  year  (Eze.  4  :  6),  we  have  1260  years. 

This  period  is  to  cover  the  supremacy  of  the  papacy. 
The  beginning  of  it  will  be  the  point  of  the  establishment 
of  the  power  of  the  papacy.  This  was  the  year  538  a.  d. 
Justinian,  emperor  of  Rome,  with  his  capital  at  Constanti- 
nople, espoused  the  cause  of  the  bishop  of  Rome;  and  in 
533  A.  D.  issued  a  decree  which  constituted  that  prelate 
head  of  all  the  churches.  But  the  Arian  Ostrogoths  had 
possession  of  Rome,  and  it  was  not  until  they  had  been 
rooted  up  that  the  city  was  accessible  to  the  bishop.  This 
was  accomplished  in  538,  by  Belisarius,  Justinian's  cele- 
brated general.  For  a  concise  and  clear  account  of  this 
occurrence  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  ^'Two  Republics," 
by  A.  T.  Jones,  pp.  551-553. 

Commencing  the  1260  years  a.  d.  538,  they  reach  to 
A.  D.  1798,  when  Berthier,  a  French  general,  took  posses- 
sion of  Rome.  The  pope  was  made  a  prisoner  and  carried 
with  violence  away  from  his  palace  and  out  of.  Italy.  The 
papacy  was  stripped  of  its  civil  power.  Here  ended  the 
days   of  tribulation  spoken  of  by  our  Lord,  which  were  — 


40  HIS  GLORIOUS  appearing: 

SHORTENED  FOR  THE  ELECT'S  SAKE. 

Verse  22:  "And  except  those  days  should  be  shortened,  there 
should  no  flesh  be  saved  ;  but  for  the  elect's  sake  those  days  shall  be 
shortened." 

The  papacy  was  clothed  with  civil  power  to  punish  here- 
tics, which  it  held  for  1260  years  ;  and  had  not  the  period 
of  tribulation  of  the  elect  in  the  providence  of  God  been 
shortened,  the  martyrdom  of  the  church  would  have  con- 
tinued to  1798,  in  which  event,  no  flesh  of  the  elect  would 
have  been  saved.  But  the  Reformation  under  Martin 
Luther,  and  those  associated  with  this  great  reformer,  modi- 
fied this  tribulation,  and  continued  to  restrain  the  rage  and 
power  of  the  papacy  until  the  suppression  of  the  Jesuits 
in  1773,  since  which  time,  there  has  been  no  general  per- 
secution waged  against  the  church.  Thus  we  are  brought  in 
this  prophetic  discourse  of  our  Lord,  down  into  the  eight- 
eenth century,  very  near  the  present  time.  We  would 
naturally  expect,  then,  that  the  instructions  and  warnings 
which  follow  would  be  applicable  to  this  generation. 

LO,  HERE,  AND  LO,  THERE. 

Verses  23-27:  "Then  if  any  man  shall  say  unto  you,  Lo,  here  is 
Christ,  or  there;  believe  it  not.  For  there  shall  arise  false  christs,  and 
false  prophets,  and  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders;  insomuch  that, 
if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect.  Behold,  I  have 
told  you  before.  Wherefore  if  they  shall  say  unto  you.  Behold,  he  is 
in  the  desert ;  go  not  forth :  behold,  he  is  in  the  secret  chambers ; 
believe  it  not.  For  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east  and  shineth 
even  unto  the  west;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be." 

In  these  verses  the  great  theme  of  Christ's  second  com- 
ing is  again  vividly  brought  forth.  Satan  is  ever  on  the 
alert  to  contravene  by  some  device  or  art,  tlie  work  of  God. 
His  most  successful  plan  is  to  deceive.  By  this  means  he 
gains  ready  access  to  all  such  as  desire  to  evade  the  force  of 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY' 


trutli.  And  having  deceived  an  individual,  he  not  only  pre- 
vents his  salvation,  but  gains  to  himself  an  adherent  if  not 
an  active  agent.  So,  as  the  time  for  the  second  advent 
draws  near,  the  enemy  becomes  particularly  active,  know- 
ing that  he  hath  but  a  short  time.  In  the  words  last 
quoted  our  Lord  seeks  to  prepare  the  minds  of  his  peo- 
ple for  the  deceptions  that  are  to  be  practiced  upon  those 
who  live  near  the  time  of  his  second  coming.  There 
will  be  those  who  will  cry,  "Lo,  here  ;  or  Lo,  there,"  some 
will  even  claim  to  be  Christ.  They  will  purport  to  repre- 
sent the  truth  in  regard  to  Christ's  coming  in  various 
plausible  or  fanatical  ways.  Others,  in  order  to  reach 
other  minds,  will  present  theories  of  human  device  ac- 
counting for  the  advent  of  Christ  in  various  so-called  ra- 
tional schemes.  Many  sincere  people  will  be  led  to  expect 
the  conversion  of  the  world  through  a  millennium  of  peace. 
Others  will  be  persuaded  that  the  coming  of  Christ  means 
death.  And  even  false  prophets,  showing  great  signs  and 
wonders,  will  appear.  All  these  form  an  atmosphere  of 
deception,  the  miasma  of  which  will  stupefy,  if  it  were 
possible,  the  elect  of  God. 

In  this  fearful  work  will  be  engaged  the  notorious 
deceiver,  the  trained  agents  of  Satan,  the  worldly  phil- 
osopher, worldly  preachers,  popular  ministers,  critics  of 
the  Bible,  and  many  whose  eyes  do  not  discern  the  signs 
of  the  times.  The  Mormons  call  the  people  to  the  desert ; 
Spiritualism  invites  us  to  the  secret  chamber,  where  Satanic 
signs  and  wonders  are  wrought  to  captivate  the  mind  and 
divert  it  from  the  truth.  Of  these  "false  prophets"  Paul 
speaks  in  1  Tim.   4:1:  — 

"Now  the  Spirit speaketli  oxprossly,  that  in  the  lattor  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  ^iviiijL'  Ihm'<1  to  scducinir  spirits  and  doctrines 
of  d.-vils.- 


42  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  I 

In  another  scripture  the  apostle  places  the  coming  of 
Christ  in   connection  with  — 

"The  working  of  Satan  with  all  power  and  signs  and  lying  won- 
ders, and  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that 
perish  ;  because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they 
might  be  saved.  And  for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them  strong 
delusions,  that   they   should  believe  a  lie."     2   Thess.    2:9-11. 

These  are  some  of  the  deceptions  of  which  Christ  is 
speaking  in  the  text.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  work  of 
modern  Spiritualism.  This  work,  in  its  present  form, 
originated  in  the  year  1848,  and  constitutes  and  is  to 
constitute  one  of   the    most   prominent    signs   of   the    end. 

Let  no  one  be  deceived  by  any  means.  For  these 
are  but  subterfuges.  They  are  not  the  coming  of  Christ. 
He  has  said,  "I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto 
myself."     John  14:3. 

The  angels  said  at  his  ascension, — 

'*  This  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall 
so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."     Acts  1:11. 

Paul  tells  us, — 

"  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with 
the  voice  of  the  archangel  and  with  the  trump  of  God."  1  Thess. 
4:  16. 

And  here  our  Saviour  says:  — 

"As  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  unto  the 
west ;   so  shall  also  the  coming  of    the  Son  of   man  be." 

He  will  come  literally,  personally,  the  same  Jesus 
who  was  here  upon  the  earth.  Not  in  lowly  form  as  an 
offering  for  sin,  to  be  set  at  naught,  abused,  and  crucified, 
but  in  "all  his  glory"  attended  with  "all  the  holy  angels." 
Matt.  25:31.  We  shall  know  when  he  comes  for  "every 
eye  shall  see  him."     Kev.  1  :  7. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  43 

None  of  these  evasions  of  the  truth  will  ever  be  able 
to  counterfeit  the  real  event.  The  Roman  army  did  not 
come  to  Jerusalem  in  this  way.  Death  does  not  come  in 
this  way.  The  deceptive  wonders  of  Spiritualism  cannot 
imitate  the  glory  of  Christ's  second  coming.  He  will  come 
in  power  and  great  glory  (verse  30)  ;  he  will  come  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father  (chapter  16  :  27)  ;  and  in  the  glory  of 
the  holy  angels  (Luke  9  :  26) ;  all  the  holy  angels  shall 
come  with  him.  Matt.  25 :  31.  His  coming  will  be  as 
glorious  and  resplendent  as  the  lightning.  When  Jesus 
revealed  himself  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  there  was  a  light  above 
the  brightness  of  the  sun  (Acts  26 :  13) ;  of  the  angel  who 
appeared  at  the  tomb  after  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  it  is 
said,  *'His  countenance  was  like  lightning"  (Matt.  28  :  3)  ; 
and  Ezekiel  says  of  the  messengers  of  the  Most  High, 
they  "ran  and  returned  as  the  appearance  of  a  flash  of 
lightning."     Eze.  1:  14. 

When  Jesus  comes  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with 
so  glorious  a  train  attendant,  his  coming  will  indeed  be  as 
the  lightning  coming  out  of  the  east  and  shining  to  the  west, 
and  no  one  will  have  any  more  occasion  or  opportunity  to 
say  to  his  fellow,  "See  here,"  than  one  would  have  to  call 
another  to  behold  a  gleam  of  lightning  flashing  through  the 
heavens.  The  vivid  lightning  flashing  out  of  the  distant 
east,  and  shining  even  to  the  west,  lights  up  the  whole 
heavens.  What,  then,  when  the  Lord  comes  in  flaming 
glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him  ?  The  presence 
of  only  one  holy  angel  at  the  sepulcher  where  Christ 
lay  dead,  caused  the  Roman  guard  to  shake,  and  become 
as  dead  men.  The  light  and  glory  of  one  angel  com- 
pletely overpowered  those  strong  sentinels.  The  Son  of 
man  is  coming  in  his  own  kingly  glory,  and  in  the  glory  of 
his  Father,  attended   by  all   the   holy  angels.      Then   the 


44  HIS   GLORIOUS   APPEARING  ! 

whole  heavens  will  blaze  with  glory,  and  the  whole  earth 
will  tremble  before  him. 

THE  SIGNS  OF  CHRIST'S  COMING. 

Verses  29-31:  "Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days 
shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and 
the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall 
be  shaken.  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in 
heaven,  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall 
see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power  and 
great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a 
trumpet;  and  they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds, 
from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other." 

We  have  before  seen  that  our  Lord  speaks  in  this 
chapter  of  the  long  period  of  tribulation  that  was  to  come 
upon  his  followers,  and  we  have  also  seen  how  those  days 
of  tribulation  were  shortened  for  the  elect's  sake.  Christ 
says  that  the  sun  should  be  darkened  immediately  after  the 
tribulation  of  those  days.  Mark  in  his  gospel,  gives  it  as 
follows :  — 

"  In  those  days,  after  that  tribulation,  the  sun  shall  be  darkened, 
and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light."    Mark  13  :  24. 

This  makes  the  time  in  which  the  sun  was  to  be  dark- 
ened more  distinct  and  definite.  The  days  of  tribulation 
were  the  1260  years  of  papal  supremacy,  beginning  in  538 
A.  D.  and  ending  with  the  capture  of  Eome  and  the  pope 
by  the  French  in  1798.  But  we  have  already  seen  that  the 
"tribulation"  or  persecution  of  those  days  was  "short- 
ened "  for  the  elect's  sake.  That  is,  the  active  persecution 
of  the  church  by  papal  power  ceased  in  1773.  Then,  ac- 
cording to  Mark's  statement,  the  sun  should  be  darkened 
between  that  date  and  1798.  It  was  fulfilled.  May  19, 
1780,  has  passed  into  history  as  "the  dark  day." 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUB.  45 

This  is  a  fact  of  so  general  knowledge  that  we  need  not 
consume  space  in  elucidating  it.  A  few  references  to  un- 
doubted authorities  will  suffice. 

Noah  Webster's  dictionary,  in  the  edition  for  1869, 
under  the  head  of  Explanatory  and  Pronouncing  Vocabulary 
of  Noted  Names,  says  :  — 

"  T?ie  dark  day,  May  19,  1780  —  so  called  on  account  of  a  remarkable 
darkness  on  that  day  extending  over  all  New  England.  In  some  places, 
persons  could  not  see  to  read  common  print  in  the  open  air  for  several 
hours  together.  Birds  sang  their  evening  songs,  disappeared,  and 
became  silent;  fowls  went  to  roost  ;  cattle  sought  the  barn-yard;  and 
candles  were  lighted  in  the  houses.  The  obscuration  began  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continued  till  the  middle  of  the  next  night, 
but  with  differences  of  degree  and  duration  in  different  places.  For 
several  days  previous,  the  wind  had  been  variable,  but  chiefly  from 
the  south-west  and  the  north-east.  The  true  cause  of  this  remarkable 
phenomenon  is  not  known." 

From  another  good  authority  we  quote  :  — 

"  A  solemn  gloom  of  unusual  darkness  before  ten  o'clock, —  a  still 
darker  cloud  rolling  under  the  sable  curtain  from  the  north  and  west 
before  eleven  o'clock, —  excluded  the  light  so  that  none  could  see  to 
read  or  write  in  the  House,  even  at  either  window,  or  distinguish 
persons  at  a  small  distance,  or  perceive  any  distinction  of  dress  in 
the  circle  of  attendants  ;  wherefore,  at  eleven  o'clock  adjourned  the 
House  till  two  in  the  afternoon." — Journal  of  tlie  Connecticut  Ilouse  of 
Representatives,  Friday,  May  19,  1780. 

Herschel,  the  great  astronomer,  says  :  — 

"The  dark  day  in  Northern  America  was  one  of  those  wonderful 
phenomena  of  nature  which  will  always  be  read  with  interest,  but 
which  philosophy  is  at  a  loss  to  explain." 

A  contemporary  paper  contained  the  following :  — 

'*  During  the  whole  lime  a  sickly,  melancholy  gloom  overcast  tho 
face  of  nature.  Nor  was  the  darkness  of  the^ night  less  uncommon  und 
terrifying  than  that  of  the  day,  for  notwithstanding  thoro  was  almost  u 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  *< 

full  moon,  no  object  was  discernible  but  by  the  help  of  some  artificial 
light,  which  seen  from  the  neighboring  houses  and  other  places  at 
a  distance  appeared  through  a  kind  of  Egyptian  darkness  which  seemed 
almost  impervious  to  its  rays.  This  unusual  phenomenon  excited 
the  fears  and  apprehensions  of  many  people." — Mass.  Spy,  Corre- 
spondence, 1780. 

From  another  good  authority  we  take  the  following  :  — 

"Almost,  if  not  altogether  alone  as  the  most  mysterious  and  as  yet 
unexplained  phenomenon  of  its  kind  in  nature's  diversified  range  of 
events  during  the  last  century,  stands  the  dark  day  of  May  19,  1780, 
a  most  unaccountable  darkening  of  the  whole  visible  heavens  and 
atmosphere  in  New  England,  which  brought  intense  alarm  and  distress 
to  multitudes  of  minds,  as  well  as  dismay  to  the  brute  creation,  the 
fowls  fieeing,  bewildered,  to  their  roosts,  and  the  birds  to  their  nests, 
and  the  cattle  returning  to  their  stalls.  Indeed  thousands  of  the  good 
people  of  that  day  became  fully  convinced  that  the  end  of  all  things 
terrestrial  had  come  ;  many  gave  up,  for  the  time,  their  secular  pursuits, 
and  betook  themselves  to  religious  devotions." — "Our  First  Century." 

An  extract  from  a  sermon  preached  at  that  time  will  be 
of  interest :  — 

"But  especially  I  mention  that  wonderful  darkness  on  the  19th  cf 
May  inst.  [1780].  Then,  as  in  our  text,  the  sun  was  darkened;  such 
a  darkness  as  probably  was  never  known  before  since  the  crucifixion 
of  our  Lord.  People  left  their  work  in  the  house  and  in  the  field. 
Travelers  stopped;  schools  broke  up  at  eleven  o'clock ;  people  lighted 
candles  at  noonday  ;  and  the  fire  shone  as  at  night.  Some  people,  I 
have  been  told,  were  in  dismay,  and  thought  whether  the  day  of  Judg- 
ment was  not  drawing  on.  A  great  part-  of  the  following  night  also 
was  singularly  dark.  The  moon,  tJiough  in  the  full,  gave  no  light,  as  in  our 
text." —  From  a  manuscript  sermon  by  Rev.  Elam  Potter,  delivered  May 
28,  1780. 

By  t\w,  reiiiiirkable  obscuration  of  the  moon  on  the  fol- 
lowing night,  the  next  sign,  "And  tlio  moon  sliall  not  give 
her  light,"  was  fulfilled.  Concerning  this  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  insert  a  few  words  :  — 


48  Ills  (JLORiors  appearing: 

"The  night  succeeding  that  day  (May  19,  1780)  was  of  such  pitcliy 
darkness  that,  in  some  instances,  horses  could  not  be  compelled  to 
leave  the  stable  when  wanted  for  service.  About  midnight,  the  clouds 
were  dispersed,  and  the  moon  and  stars  appeared  with  unimpared 
brilliancy. "  —  "  8to7ie's  History  of  Beverly. '' 

Mr.  Tenny,  of  Exeter,  N.  H.,  quoted  by  Mr.  Gage, 
to  the  Historical  Society,  speaking  of  the  dark  day  and 
dark  night  of  May  19,  1780,  says :  — 

"The  darkness  of  the  following  evening  was  probably  as  gross 
as  has  ever  been  observed  since  the  Almighty  first  gave  birth  to  light. 
I  could  not  help  conceiving  at  the  time,  that  if  every  luminous  body  in 
the  universe  had  been  shrouded  in  impenetrable  darkness,  or  struck 
out  of  existence,  the  darkness  could  not  have  been  more  complete. 
A  sheet  of  white  paper  held  within  a  few  inches  of  the  eye  was  equally 
invisible  with  the  blackest  velvet." 

Concerning  a  similar  phenomenon  in  the  Old  World 
a  reliable  work  says  :  — 

"Three  years  later,  and  Europe  with  its  teeming  millions  went 
under  as  mysterious  a  cloud,  which,  though  not  so  dense,  yet  continued 
longer  and  awoke  a  wonder  and  fear  that  was  widely  felt.  A  haze, 
for  which  no  known  cause  was  then  assigned  (though  in  subsequent 
years  it  has  been  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  volcanic  dust),  spread 
through  the  entire  breadth  of  the  atmosphere  over  all  the  continent  far 
into  Asia.  It  appeared  in  Denmark,  May  29,  reached  France,  June  14  ; 
Italy,  June  16  ;  Noi-way,  June  22  ;  Austria  and  Switzerland,  June  23  ; 
Sweden,  June  24;  and  Russia,  June  25.  By  the  close  of  the  month  it 
had  overspread  like  a  pall  all  Syria,  and  on  July  18,  had  penetrated 
the  heart  of  Asia  to  the  Altai  Mountains,  The  obscurity  prevailed  a 
greater  portion  of  the  summer,  imparting  to  tlie  sun  an  unnatural 
color  of  a  dull,  rusty  red,  and  causing  both  the  days  and  nights  to  wear 
a  weird  and  gloomy  aspect.  The  atmosphere  was  liighly  electric,  and 
nature  was  greatly  convulsed. 

"Dr.  N.  Webster  in  his  valuable  'History  of  Pestilences,'  vol.  ii. 
p.  274,  testifies  to  the  general  fear.  As  it  was  in  America  on  the  occur- 
rence of  the  *  dark  day,'  so  the  churches  in  Europe  were  crowded  with 
alarmed  multitudes  supplicating  mercy  of  Heaven.     Professor  Lalande, 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  49 

the  astronomer  of  France,  attempted  to  quiet  the  popular  fear  by 
ascribing  the  darkened  heavens  to  exhalations  arising  out  of  the  earth  ; 
but  both  Webster  and  Humboldt  (Cosmos  IV.,  p.  75)  rejected  this 
solution  of  the  mysterious  obscurity.  Protestant  England  shared  in 
the  alarm  it  occasioned  ;  and  the  poet  Cowper  sang  that  all  the  ele- 
ments 'preached  the  general  doom.*  It  was  to  this  unaccountable 
obscuration  of  light  that  he  refers  in  his  'Task:'  — 

"  '  Nature  seems  with  dim  and  sickly  eye 
To  wait  the  close  of  all.' " 

— "  Great  Consummation." 

"AND  THE  STARS  SHALL  FALL." 

How  this  sign  can  be  fulfilled  is  a  query  with  some 
people,  who,  perhaps  captiously,  remark  that  it  would  be 
impossible,  since  the  earth  itself  is  but  a  small  body  com- 
pared with  many  of  the  vast  worlds  of  space.  But  all  such 
queries  are  out  of  date  now  since  the  sign  itself  has  already 
been  witnessed.  On  the  night  of  November  13,  1833,  the 
grandest  display  of  celestial  fireworks  ever  beheld  took 
place.  From  works  of  accepted  authority  we  take  the  fol- 
lowing descriptions  of  this  remarkable  event :  — 

"But  the  most  sublime  phenomenon  of  shooting  stars,  of  which 
the  world  has  furnished  any  record,  was  witnessed  throughout  the 
United  States  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  November,  1833.  The 
entire  extent  of  this  astonishing  exhibition  has  not  been  precisely 
ascertained ;  but  it  covered  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  earth's 
surface.  .  .  .  The  first  appearance  was  that  of  fireworks  of  the  most 
imposing  grandeur,  covering  the  entire  vault  of  heaven  with  myriads  of 
fire-balls,  resembling  sky-rockets.  Their  coruscations  were  bright, 
gleaming,  and  incessant,  and  they  fell  thick  as  the  flakes  in  the  early 
snows  of  December.  To  the  splendors  of  this  celestial  exhibition  the 
most  brilliant  sky-rockets  and  fire-works  of  art  bear  less  relation  than  the 
twinkling  of  the  most  tiny  star  to  the  broad  glare  of  the  sun.  The 
whole  heavens  seemed  in  motion,  and  suggested  to  some  the  awful 
grandeur  of  the  imago  employed  in  the  Apocalypse,  upon  the  opening 
of  the  sixth  seal,  when  '  the  stars  of  heaven  foil  unto  the  earth,  even 
4 


[50] 


THE  FALLING  STARS. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  51 

as  a  fig-tree  casteth  her  uutiinely  figs,  when  she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty 
wind.'" — Bur  n't  fs  "Geography  of  tJie  Heavens,"  p.  163,  ed.  185Jf. 

A  celebrated  astronomer  and  meteorologist,  says  :  — 

"Those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  witness  the  exhibition  of  shoot- 
ing stars  on  the  morning  of  Kov.  13,  1833,  probably  saw  the  greatest 
display  of  celestial  fire-works  that  has  ever  been  since  the  creation  of 
the  world,  or  at  least  within  the  annals  covered  by  the  pages  of  history. 

"  In  nearly  all  places  the  meteors  began  to  attract  notice  by  their 
unusual  frequency  as  early  as  eleven  o'clock,  and  increased  in  numbers 
and  splendor  until  about  four  o'clock,  from  which  time  they  gradually 
declined,  but  were  visible  until  lost  in  the  light  of  day.  The  meteors 
did  not  fly  at  random  over  all  parts  of  the  sky,  but  appeared  to  emanate 
from  a  point  in  the  constellation  Leo,  near  a  star  called  Gamma  Le- 
onis,  in  the  bend  of  the  Sickle.  .  .  . 

"The  extent  of  the  shower  of  1833  was  such  as  to  cover  no  incon- 
siderable part  of  the  earth's  surface,  from  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic 
on  the  east  to  the  Pacific  on  the  west ;  and  from  the  northern  coast 
of  South  America  to  undefined  regions  among  the  British  possessions 
on  the  north,  the  exhibition  was  visible,  and  everwhere  presented  nearly 
the  same  appearance.  This  is  no  longer  to  be  regarded  as  a  terrestrial 
but  a  celestial  phenomenon ,  and  shooting  stars  are  now  to  be  no  more 
viewed  as  casual  productions  of  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere, 
but  as  visitants  from  other  worlds,  or  from  the  planetary  voids." — Prof 
Olmstead,  of  Yale  College. 

"No  philosopher  or  scholar  has  told  or  recorded  an  event,  I  sup- 
pose, like  that  of  yesterday  morning.  A  prophet  1800  years  ago  foretold 
it  exactly,  if  we  will  be  at  the  trouble  of  understanding  stars  falling 
to  mean  falling  stars ;  or  *  hoi  asteres  tou  ouranou  epesan  eis  teen  geen,' 
in  the  only  sense  in  which  it  is  possible  to  be  literally  true." — Henry 
Dana  Ward,  in  Journal  of  Commerce,  Nov.  IJ^,  1833. 

Not  only  here  in  Matthew  24  is  attention  directed  to 
these  signs  as  premonitory  of  the  coming  of  Christ.  The 
Lord  through  the  prophet  Joel  says  :  — 

The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and  MkSr:^ 

before  the  great  and  the  terrible  day  of  the  ^^^''^^Z^^'^ 


ft'BriVBRSITTj 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  53 

IJDder  the  sixth  seal,  as  given  in  Rev.  6  :  12-17,  we 
have  the  following  language  :  — 

"  And  I  beheld  when  he  had  opened  the  sixth  seal,  and,  lo,  there 
was  a  great  earthquake  ;  and  the  sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of 
hair,  and  the  moon  became  as  blood  ;  and  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto 
the  earth  even  as  a  fig  tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs  when  she  is 
shaken  of  a  mighty  wind.  And  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when 
it  is  rolled  together;  and  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved  out 
of  their  places." 

That  the  fourth  and  fifth  seals  apply  to  the  papal  per- 
secution there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  If  so,  then  the 
great  earthquake  with  which  the  sixth  seal  opens  would  be 
that  of  Lisbon,  in  1755,  which  agitated  the  greater  part  of 
the  earth  and  destroyed  many  thousands  of  lives,  60,000 
in  Lisbon  alone. 

The  darkening  of  the  sun  and  moon  follows  in  1780, 
and  the  falling  of  the  stars  in  1833.  Consequently  the 
next  event  which  we  are  to  expect  under  this  seal  is  the 
departing,  of  the  heavens  as  a  scroll.  This  being  future,  we 
may  say  that  we  are  living  between  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  verses  of  Revelation  6. 

In  the  gospel  as  written  by  Luke,  however,  we  have  at 
this  point  some  additional  specifications  given,  which  are  of 
such  interest  at  the  present  juncture.  And  they  rightfully 
belong  to  this  exposition,  since  both  Matthew  and  Luke  are 
giving  versions  of  the  same  discourse.  The  passage  from 
Luke  to  which  reference  is  made  is  the  following  :  — 

"  And  there  shall  be  signs  in  the  sun,  and  in  the  moon,  and  in  the 
stars ;  and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity ;  the  sea 
and  the  waves  roaring;  men's  hearts  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  look- 
ing after  those  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth  :  for  the  powers  of 
heaven  shall  be  shaken."     Luke  21 :  25-27. 


[54] 


MODERN  CYCLONE. 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  55 

The  signs  in  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  are  here  spoken  of 
less  specifically  than  by  Matthew,  while  other  features  of  the 
times,  which  Matthew  does  not  notice,  are  introduced  between 
those  signs  and  the  shaking  of  the  powers  of  heaven.  These 
are  of  peculiar  interest  to  us  because  we  are  living  in  the 
very  days  when  the  things  that  Luke  speaks  of  are  coming 
to  pass.  The  signs  here  predicted  consist  of  violent  commo- 
tions upon  earth  which  cause  anxiety,  perplexity,  and  distress 
among  nations  and  in  the  hearts  of  men.  We  may  refer  the 
expression,  "  the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring,"  to  unusual  dis- 
turbances of  the  natural  elements,  and  we  have  the  most 
abundant  evidences  of  its  fulfillment  in  the  storms  and  con- 
vulsions of  nature  that  are  occurring  by  sea  and  land,  filling 
the  heart  with  dread  at  the  sight  of  every  dark  cloud  that 
arises.  The  tidal  waves  and  volcanic  upheavals  at  sea  have, 
in  the  last  two  or  three  decades,  been  marked  with  extraor- 
dinary violence.  On  land,  cyclones  and  earthquakes  have 
carried  on  a  fearful  work  of  destruction.  Many  instances 
might  be  cited  to  substantiate  this  statement,  but  the  events 
are  too  familiar  to  require  it.  Hardly  a  week  passes  but 
some  great  calamity  of  this  kind  is  recorded. 

But  the  expression  referred  to  is  probably  susceptible 
of  another  application  in  which  it  will  be  found  to  be  as 
forcible  and  pertinent  to  the  present  state  of  affairs  as  in 
the  one  just  noticed.  This  would  be  to  give  the  term  "  sea 
and  waves"  its  symbolic  meaning.  The  prophet  of  old 
said:  ''And  behold  the  four  winds  of  heaven  strove  upon 
the  great  sea."  Dan.  7  :  2.  We  are  told  that  the  sea  repre- 
sents ''peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues." 
Rev.  17 :  15.  Taking  the  words  in  this  sense,  the  meaning 
and  fulfillment  are  still  as  apparent  as  before  ;  and  the  ex- 
pression joins  its  force  to  that  of  the  remainder  of  the  pas- 
sage—  "  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity; 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW    TWENTY-FJ 

the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring  ;  men's  hearts  failing  them 
for  fear  and  for  looking  after  those  things  which  are  coming 
on  the  earth."  In  this  sense  the  expression  in  question 
would  indicate  commotion  and  violent  disturbance  in  the 
social  and  political  world.  In  this  meaning  all  will  at  once 
see  the  vivid  force  of  the  text  as  applied  to  our  times. 

The  times  we  live  in  are  anomalous  to  any  that  have 
ever  preceded  us.  For  some  years  there  have  been  uni- 
versal and  active  preparations  for  war,  and  almost  universal 
peace.  To  secure  the  greatest  efficiency  of  armed  forces 
for  defensive  and  offensive  purposes,  has  been  the  prime 
consideration  of  government,  especially  so,  as  far  as  the  Old 
World  nations  are  concerned.  Europe  echoes  to  the  tread 
of  vast  hosts  of  war  while  the  nations  are  driven  to  their 
wits'  end  to  provide  for  their  support.  It  is  well  known  that 
these  costly  preparations  are  not  for  show ;  and  the  hearts 
of  men  quail  in  view  of  the  culmination  which,  though  de- 
layed, must  soon  be  reached. 

But  while  the  temple  of  Janus  is  closed  as  far  as  interna- 
tional strife  is  concerned,  and  angel  hands  are  holding  the 
winds  of  war  (see  Rev.  7 : 1-3),  internal  strife  and  dissension 
are  rending  the  vitals  of  the  great  nations  of  earth.  Within 
the  confines  of  its  own  border,  each  of  these  nations  is  cher- 
ishing elements  of  the  deadliest  nature.  Trouble  is  brewing 
that  has  for  the  people  far  more  terror  than  foreign  compli- 
cations. For  some  time  the  ominous  mutterings  of  an  on- 
coming storm  have  been  heard  in  every  land,  and  it  requires 
no  remarkable  acumen  to  discern  the  rapid  approach  of  the 
crisis. 

The  apostle  James  strikes  directly  at  the  matter  in  a 
prophetic  glance  and  exhortation  in  the  following  lan- 
guage:— 


58  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPP]ARING  I 

"Go  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  your  miseries  that 
shall  come  upon  you.  Your  riches  are  corrupted,  and  your  garments 
are  moth-eaten.  Your  gold  and  silver  is  cankered  ;  and  the  rust  of  them 
shall  be  a  witness  against  you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were  fire. 
Ye  have  heaped  treasure  together  for  the  last  days.  Behold,  the  hire 
of  the  laborers  who  have  reaped  down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you 
kept  back  by  fraud,  crieth ;  and  the  cries  of  them  which  have  reaped 
are  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth,  Ye  have  lived  in 
pleasure  on  the  earth,  and  been  wanton ;  ye  have  nourished  your 
hearts,  as  in  a  day  of  slaughter.  Ye  have  condemned  and  killed  the 
just ;  and  he  doth  not  resist  you."    James  5  :  1-6. 

The  apostle  locates  the  circumstances  he  here  refers  to 
in  the  last  days,  fie  denounces  the  rich  men  who  have 
heaped  together  treasures,  the  rust  and  canker  of  which  will 
be  a  witness  against  them.  They  live  in  pleasure  and  want- 
onness while  the  cries  of  those  whose  wages  they  have  kept 
back  enter  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 

There  is  a  universal  cry  of  hard  times  in  all  the  world. 
It  is  hard  to  obtain  money  ;  and  yet,  there  never  was  so  much 
money  as  at  present.  But  it  is  being  collected  —  gath- 
ered in  heaps  —  by  the  powerful  few,  while  the  limited 
means  of  the  masses  are  dwindling  lower  and  lower.  The 
poorer  classes  witness  the  absorption  of  -  wealth  by  the 
money-kings,  with  feelings  that  are  being  aroused  to  the 
point  of  desperation  by  the  sense  of  their  inability  to  secure 
what  seems  to  them  a  more  equitable  distribution  of  the 
things  of  this  world.  The  laborers  cry,  and  God  hears 
their  cry. 

That  these  things  are  taking  place  to-day  as  the  most 
prominent  feature  of  our  social  life  no  one  will  for  a  moment 
deny.  Such  colossal  fortunes  the  world  has  heretofore  at 
most  but  dreamed  of.  There  are  men  living  to-day  who 
have  risen  in  wealth  from  obscure  stations  to  become  lords 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  59 

of  untold  millions.  Their  wealth  passes  the  bounds  of  just 
computation,  for  it  includes  the  power  of  oppression  by  which 
it  may  be  indefinitely  increased.  The  lavish  expenditure  of 
these  means  for  selfish  pleasure  often  amounts  to  wan- 
tonness. 

Well  then,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  It  is  a  difficult  and 
delicate  matter  to  fram.e  and  secure  legislation  by  which 
this  or  any  other  class  of  men  shall  be  deprived  of  the 
management  of  their  own  business  as  long  as  that  business 
is  legitimate  and  is  legitimately  conducted.  Shall  anarchy 
and  violence  be  resorted  to?  Shall  the  laborer  seize  the 
torch  and  the  weapons  of  death  ?  Shall  the  country  be 
devastated  by  strikes,  strife,  and  civil  war  ?  Shall  our  com- 
munities be  rent  with  murder,  arson,  treason,  and  intense 
personal  hatred  and  enmity  ?  No  one  possessing  the  natu- 
ral instincts  of  humanity  could  contemplate  such  a  condition 
of  affairs  except  with  horror.  There  are  ghouls  of  society 
who  gloat  in  blood  ;  but  such  are  not  true  citizens,  they 
are  not  neighbors,  they  certainly  are  not  Christians. 

But  what  shall  we  do  as  citizens,  neighbors,  and  Chris- 
tians? This  is  a  question  of  great  importance  just  now. 
Inspiration  long  ago  foresaw  our  situation.  The  pitying 
Saviour  long  since  anticipated  the  sufferings  that  are  to 
come  upon  this  generation  ;  and  having,  through  his  serv- 
ant, outlined  the  present  condition  of  affairs  so  closely,  he 
certainly  would  not  leave  his  followers  uninformed  as  to 
the  course  he  would  have  them  pursue.  We  have  to  read 
only  two  verses  farther  in  James's  letter  to  find  the  counsel 
we  need. 

"  Be  patient  tlwrefore,  brethren,  unto  the  coming  of  tlie  Lord.  Behold, 
the  husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath 
long  patience  for  It,  until  he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain.     Be  ye 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTV-FOUR.  0)1 

also  patient ;  stablish  your  hearts  ;  far  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh."    James  5  :  7,  8. 

Oppression  and  revolt,  combination  and  intrigue,  strife 
and  bloodshed,  never  will  cease  until  the  supreme  selfish- 
ness, which  in  the  absence  of  divine  grace  controls  all  men, 
gives  place  to  true  philanthropy,  and  a  brotherhood  that 
is  not  outlined  by  class  or  sectional  interests.  This  happy 
time  is  coming.  When  Jesus  comes,  he  will  take  to  himself 
his  power  and  reign  in  righteousness.  Then  will  the  hills 
be  brought  low,  the  valleys  exalted,  the  crooked  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  smooth. 

Those  who  are  weary  of  strife,  those  who  through  mis- 
fortune or  oppression  have  been  made  to  feel  their  need 
of  relief  will  find  rest  to  their  souls  in  looking  for  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  It  is  vain  to  match  evil  with  evil  or 
to  try  to  cure  wrong  with  wrong.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is 
the  only  remedy  for  these  ills.  And  all  that  we  can  really 
do  to  counteract  the  annoyances  of  this  life  must  be  done 
through  the  gospel  of  peace.  In  this  time  of  perplexity, 
distress,  and  fear,  let  every  Christian  hold  up  Christ.  Let 
his  patient  suffering  be  exemplified  in  whatever  circum- 
stances may  come.     Just   a  little   beyond,   there  is  relief. 

Strikes,  boycotts,  lock-outs,  trusts,  unions,  or  any  other 
human  device  or  demonstration  only  augments  the  trouble, 
as  the  experience  of  the  past  few  years  shows.  For  there 
never  was  so  much  of  these  things  as  now,  and  never  was 
capital  so  insecure,  business  so  uncertain,  and  labor  in  such 
distress  as  at  present.  The  employment  of  arbitrary  force 
provokes  greater  efforts  on  the  opposite  side,  and  thus  the 
breach  is  widened  and  the  strife  becomes  more  bitter.  We 
do  not  argue  tlie  merits  or  demerits  of  the  case.  That  there 
is  deep  wrong  involved,  the  fruits  plainly  show.  It  is  our 
task  only   to  point  out  the  one  remedy   available  alike  to 


62  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  : 

either  and  all.  That  remedy  is  the  gospel  of  Christ,  which 
is  soon  to  close  in  a  glorious  triumph  for  those  who  have 
patiently  and  faithfully  wrought  his  will. 

"THE  POWERS  OF  HEAVEN  SHALL  BE  SHAKEN." 

We  do  not  apprehend  that  this  circumstance  will  occur 
as  a  sign  of  Christ's  coming,  but  rather  that  it  will  constitute 
one  of  the  events  of  his  coming,  the  same  as  the  features 
mentioned  in  the  next  verse.  An  evident  distinction  may 
be  drawn  between  the  signs  of  the  advent  and  the  circum- 
stances of  it.  With  the  falling  of  the  stars,  the  former 
cease  ;  and  with  the  next  event  the  latter  commence.  This 
event,  the  shaking  of  the  powers  of  heaven,  we  must  regard 
as  being  future.  It  holds  the  same  place  in  the  events 
of  this  chapter,  that  the  departing  of  the  heavens  as  a 
scroll  does  in  the  events  of  the  sixth  seal  of  Revelation  6. 
Both  follow  the  falling  stars.  The  Scriptures  plainly  teach 
that,  prior  to  the  resurrection  of  the  just  by  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  the  voice  of  God  the  Father  will  shake  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  when  will  be  fulfilled  the  shaking 
of  the  powers  of  the  heaven.  This  is  not  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God  as  he  descends  to  raise  the  dead.  It  comes 
from  the  throne  of  God  in  the  temple  of  heaven. 

"The  Lord  also  shall  roar  out  of  Zion,  and  utter  his  voice  from 
Jerusalem,  and  the  heavens  and  the  earth  shall  shake;  but  the  Lord 
will  be  the  hope  of  his  people,  and  the  strength  of  the  children  of 
Israel."    Joel  3  :  16. 

"Therefore  will  I  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth  shall  remove  out 
of  her  place,  in  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  in  the  day  of  his 
fierce  anger."    Isa.  13  :  13. 

Paul  quotes  from  the  words  of  the  Lord  by  Haggai  and 
comments  as  follows  :  — 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  63 

"Yet  once  more  I  shake  not  the  earth  only,  but  also  heaven.  And 
this  word,  yet  once  more,  signifieth  the  removing  of  those  things  that 
are  shaken."    Heb.  12  :26,  27. 

"SIGN  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN." 

Neither  is  this  one  of  the  signs  showing  that  the  com- 
ing of  the  Son  of  man  is  near,  but  "  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
man  in  heaven."  It  is  that  which  indicates  his  position. 
When  Christ  ascended  from  the  mount  of  Olivet,  "a  cloud 
received  him "  from  the  sight  of  his  disciples.  They  still 
gazed  at  the  cloud  as  it  rolled  upward,  bearing  the  Saviour 
toward  the  Father's  throne ;  but  they  could  not  see  his 
person.  When  he  comes  "in  like  manner"  as  he  was  talcen 
up  to  heaven,  the  cloud  will  appear,  small  in  the  distance, 
but  as  it  draws  near,  it  will  signify  to  those  who  are  look- 
ing for  his  return,  that  he  is  there,  and  soon  his  presence 
will  fill  the  earth  with  matchless  glory.  In  Rev.  14  :  14, 
the  holy  seer  records  his  view  of  the  coming  Saviour  in 
the  following  words  :  "And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  white 
cloud,  and  upon  the  cloud  one  sat  like  unto  the  Son  of 
man." 

This  is  not  a  mass  of  vapor  but  a  cloud  of  resplendent 
glory.  He  comes  "with  power  and  great  glory."  He 
will  "come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father"  (Matt.  16:27); 
in  his  own  glory,  "and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him." 
Matt.  25  :  31.  The  glory  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and 
of  all  the  holy  angels  —  this  glory  will  comprise  the  cloud 
which  attends  him  on  the  way.  Of  its  intensity  we  can 
form  no  just  conception.  In  the  presence  of  one  angel 
the  Roman  guard  "did  quake  and  became  as  dead  men." 
There  are  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  and  thousands 
of  thousands  of  them  in  this  throng.  Above  the  bright- 
ness  of  their  glory  is   that   of  the  Father  and   the   Son. 


04  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  : 

At  first  the  cloud  is  onlj  perceptible,  but  as  it  approaches, 
it  attracts  attention,  and  at  length  every  eye  is  fastened 
intently  upon  the  wonderful  spectacle.  The  trumpet  re- 
sounds, the  voice  of  the  Archangel  awakens  the  dead,  and 
they  come  forth  to  share  in  the  glorious  revelation  of 
their  Kedeemer.  All  nature  is  convulsed  with  her  coming 
dissolution.  Each  moment  the  glory  draws  nearer,  and 
soon  the  wicked  can  no  longer  endure  the  sight. 

"And  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall 
see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 
great  glory."    Verse  30. 

Again  attention  is  directed  to  the  parallel  language  of 
Rev.  6  :  15-lY  :  — 

"And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men,  and  the  rich 
men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty  men,  and  every  bond 
man,  and  every  free  man,  hid  themselves  in  the  dens  and  in  the  rocks 
of  the  mountains;  and  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks,  Fall  on  us, 
and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from 
the  wrath  of  the  Lamb.  For  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come;  and 
who  shall  be  able  to  stand?  " 

The  prophet  Isaiah  describes  the  same  thrilling  event 
from  the  other  standpoint  —  that  of  the  waiting  people  of 
God:  — 

"He  will  swallow  up  death  in  victory,  and  the  Lord  God  will 
wipe  away  tears  from  off  all  faces;  and  the  rebuke  of  his  people  shall 
he  take  away  from  off  all  the  earth;  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. 
And  it  shall  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God;  we  have  waited 
for  him,  and  he  will  save  us:  this  is  the  Lord;  we  have  waited  for 
him,  we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his  salvation."    Isa.  25  .8,  9. 

The  apostle  Paul  gives  a  vivid  description  of  the  event 
with  its  attendant  circumstances  as  follows  :  — 

"But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning 
them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUK.  bo 

no  hope.  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so 
them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him.  For  this 
we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive  and 
remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them  which 
are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a 
shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  Archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God  : 
and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first  :  then  we  which  are  alive  and 
remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet 
tlie  Lord  in  the  air  ;  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  1  Thess. 
4  :  13-17. 

The  once  slighted,  insulted,  and  crucified  Saviour,  now 
King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  is  coming  near  the  earth! 
His  glory  blazes  everywhere  !  The  saints  hope  and  rejoice 
with  trembling.  But  what  an  hour  for  the  wicked  !  The 
tribes  of  the  earth  mourn.  Amid  the  ruins  of  shivered 
creation  they  hold  one  general  prayer-meeting.  Kings 
and  great  men,  rich  men,  chief  captains  and  mighty  men, 
free  and  bond,  all,  yes,  all  unite  in  the  general  wail.  As 
the  Son  of  man  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  attended  by 
all  the  holy  angels,  draws  still  nearer,  consternation  fills 
every  breast.  They  hide  in  dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the 
mountains.  Their  only  hope  is  to  be  concealed  from  the 
glory  of  that  scene.  They  know  it  is  too  late  to  pray  for 
mercy,  that  probation  for  the  human  family  has  ended 
forever. 

But  rocks  cannot  shelter  them  from  the  burning  glory 
manifested  by  the  King  of  kings,  attended  by  the  whole 
heavenly  host.  When  "the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the 
glory  of  the  Father,'*  "and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him," 
DO  sinner  can  endure  the  scene  and  live.  The  exceeding 
brightness  of  that  vast  multitude  of  angels,  brighter  than 
a  thousand  suns  at  noonday,  will  pierce  the  sinner's  lowest 
liiding  place,  and  will  "make  even  a  speedy  riddance  of 
all  them  that  dwell  in  the  land."     Zeph.  1:18.     The  Son 


66  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  '. 

of  man  will  be  seen  * '  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  and  great  glory."  But  before  his  coming  a 
great  work  will  be  done  for  his  people.  Should  he  sud- 
denly burst  upon  them  now,  they  could  not  endure  "the 
power  and  great  glory "  of  the  scene.  Tliis  subject  is 
well  illustrated  by  the  following  words  of  the  prophet  :  — 

"Then  shall  we  know,  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord;  his 
going  forth  is  prepared  as  tlie  morning  ;  and  he  shall  come  unto  us  as 
the  rain,  as  the  latter  and  former  rain  unto  the  earth."      Hosea  6:3. 

The  morning  is  a  beautiful  figure  of  the  opening  glory 
of  the  day  of  God.  The  day-star  first  appears,  then  the 
dawn  of  day.  And  as  the  light  of  day  increases,  the  eyes 
are  enabled  to  endure  it,  and  view  the  sun  shining  in  his 
strength.  But  should  the  light  of  the  sun  burst  upon  the 
world  suddenly  at  midnight,  no  human  eye  could  endure  it. 

So  will  the  people  of  God  be  prepared  to  meet  their 
coming  King.  They  must  first  break  away  from  the  love 
and  cares  of  this  world,  and  consecrate  all  to  the  Lord. 
Then  will  they,  in  due  time,  share  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  "as  the  rain,  as  the  latter  and  former  rain 
upon  the  earth."  The  day-star  will  arise  in  their  hearts. 
2  Peter  1 :  19.  Those  who  have  taken  heed  to  the  sure 
word  of  prophecy  through  the  dark,  watching  night,  then 
raise  their  heads  in  triumph.  They  are  filled  with  faith 
and  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Glory  is  poured  upon  them  till 
they  can  gaze  on  Christ  and  angels.  The  trumpet  sounds. 
The  angels  are  dispatched  to  the  graves  of  the  righteous. 
The  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  awakes  the  sleeping  saints  of 
all  ages.  They  come  forth  in  immortal  perfection;  and, 
as  they  leave  the  earth,  the  living  saints  are  changed. 
The  "elect  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other,"  each 
with  an  angel  bright  and  strong  to  lead  tlie  way,  are  caught 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  67 

Up  to  meet  the  Lord,  who  waits  in  mid-heaven  to  receive 
the  purchase  of  his  blood.  As  language  would  fail  to  de- 
scribe what  follows,  we  leave  the  reader  to  contemplate  it, 
praying  that  we  may  be  prepared  to  participate  in  the  meet- 
ing scene. 

PARABLE  OF  THE  FIG-TREE. 

Verses  32,  33:  "Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig-tree;  when  his 
branch  is  yet  tender  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is 
nigh.  So  liliewise  ye  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that  it 
["he,"R.  v.]  is  near,  even  at  the  doors." 

This  parable  is  probably  the  most  forcible  figure  that 
could  be  used  with  which  to  illustrate  this  subject.  When 
the  trees  of  the  field  begin  to  put  forth  their  leaves,  and 
the  tender  grass  springs  up,  and  the  ground  is  being  covered 
with  its  green  velvet  carpet,  we  know  that  summer  is  nigh. 
It  is  a  certainty  with  us  that  summer  is  coming  when  we 
see  these  signs  in  nature.  We  know  that  summer  is  nigh 
''^  Soy  likewise^^''  or,  with  the  same  certainty,  we  may  know 
that  Christ's  coming  is  near  when  the  signs  in  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  are  fulfilled.  How  near?  —  Even  at  the 
doors.     How  near  may  that  be? 

Verse  34  :  "Verily  I  say  unto  you.  This  generation  shall  not 
pass,  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled. " 

It  is  sometimes  claimed  that  the  generation  spoken  of 
was  the  one  then  living.  If  so,  it  could  have  been  to  no 
greater  extent  than  referring  to  the  answer  of  the  question 
relating  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  But  it  wouJd 
be  wholly  illogical  to  limit  the  application  of  the  statement 
to  that  generation  or  to  place  its  principal  significance 
there.  *•  All  these  things  ''  must  include  the  signs  and 
(•ircunistaiK'cs  of  which   Christ  has  biMtf^SSS^d^^Iu    the 


68  HIS    GLOKIOUS    AIM'KAKING: 

pi-eeediiig  verses  lie  gives  the  parable  of  the  fig-tree,  and 
addresses  those  who  are  to  be  living  at  that  time  directly. 
"So  likewise  ye^  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  hnow 
that  it  is  near."  And  then,  '-''This  generation  shall  not 
pass."  What  generation?  Evidently  the  one  which  he 
was  addressing,  and  which  saw  "these  things  come  to 
pass."  Not  only  does  such  an  interpretation  do  no  violence 
to  the  Saviour's  meaning,  but  it  is  obviously  the  only  one 
that  can  be  reasonably  entertained  in  regard  to  it. 

Paul  speaks  in  the  first  person  of  those  who  will  be 
living  when  Jesus  comes,  for  he  says,  "We  shall  not  all 
sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump.''  1  Cor.  15:51,  52. 
Or,  "Then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught 
up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in 
the  air."  1  Thess.  4:17.  The  things  here  mentioned  by 
the  apostle  did  not  take  place  in  his  day.  They  have  not 
yet  taken  place.  JSTotwithstanding,  he  speaks  of  them  as 
though  they  would  take  place  in  his  day,  and  a;s  if  he  were 
to  have  a  part  in  them. 

The  proclamation  of  the  coming  and  kingdom  of  Christ 
is  given  to  the  last  generation.  God  sent  Noah  to  preach 
to  the  last  generation  before  the  flood,  not  to  any  preced- 
ing one.  The  very  generation  which  was  destroyed  by  the 
waters  of  the  flood  saw  Noah  build  the  ark,  and  heard 
his  warning  voice.  So  God  has  raised  up  men  to  give  the 
solemn  warning  to  the  world  at  the  right  time  to  give  force 
to  the  warning.  And  the  very  generation  of  men  that  live 
after  the  three  great  signs  are  fulfilled,  and  who  hear  and 
reject  the  warning  message  of  Heaven,  will  drink  the  cup 
of  the  unmingled  wrath  of  God.  And  those  of  this  very 
generation  who  receive  the  message,  suffer  disappointments, 
and  endure  the  trials  of  the  waiting  position,  will  witness 


AX    EXPOSITK^X    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTV-FOUR.  C){) 

the  coming  of  Christ,  and  exclaim,  ''Lo,  this  is  our  God; 
we  have  waited  for  him,  and  he  will  save  us."     Isa.  25  :  9. 

With  what  emphasis  our  Lord  gave  utterance  to  this 
sentiment !  It  is  a  rebuke  upon  our  unbelief.  As  we 
read  it,  God  help  us  to  believe  it:  ''Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  This  generation  shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be 
fulfilled."  And  as  though  this  were  not  enough  to  lead  us 
to  unwavering  faith,  he  adds  these  forcible  words  :  "Heaven 
and  earth  shall  pass  away  but  my  words  shall  not  pass 
away." 

The  word  and  promises  of  men  may  fail ;  but  Christ 
has  given  assurance  that  his  word,  and  his  word  in  re- 
ference to  this  solemn  truth,  will  stand  though  heaven  and 
earth  fail. 

"THE  DAY  AND  HOUR." 

Verses  36,  37  :  "But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no, 
not  the  angels  of  heaven,  but  my  Father  only.  But  as  the  days  of 
Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be." 

This  has  become  a  very  familiar  passage  of  scripture 
because  of  the  frequent  use  that  is  made  of  it  to  prove  that 
nothing  can  be  known  of  the  proximity  of  the  second  com- 
ing of  Christ.  But  if  we  pause  a  moment  and  lay  beside 
this  verse  those  we  have  just  studied,  we  shall  be  able  to 
discover  the  exact  truth  at  once.  "  When  ye  shall  see  these 
things,  know  that  it  is  near  even  at  the  doors  ;  "  and,  "This 
generation  shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled  ; " 
"But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man."  The  line 
of  knowledge,  then,  lies  between  the  former  expressions  and 
the  latter  —  between  "even  at  the  doors"  and  the  definite 
day  and  hour.  The  former  we  may  know,  and  every 
Christian  is  commanded  to  know.  The  latter  no  man  know- 
eth.     One  may  foiisistently  say  that  he  knows  an  event  is 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR,  71 

near,  and  jet  say  that  be  does  not  know  the  hour  nor  the 
day  when  it  will  take  place.  That  this  is  the  scriptural 
teaching  upon  this  point  may  be  readily  proved  by  a  refer- 
ence to  1  Thess.  5  :  1-4  :  — 

"  But  of  the  times  and  the  seasons,  brethren,  ye  have  no  need  that 
I  write  unto  you.  For  yourselves  know  perfectly  that  the  day  of  the 
Lord  so  Cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night.  For  when  they  shall  say, 
Peace  and  safety  ;  then  sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them,  as  travail 
upon  a  woman  with  child  ;  and  they  shall  not  escape.  But  ye,  brethren, 
are  not  in  darkness,  that  that  day  should  overtake  you  as  a  thief." 

An  evident  distinction  is  here  drawn  between  two  classes. 
Upon  one  class  the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief. 
Those  of  the  other  are  not  in  darkness  that  that  day  should 
come  as  a  thief  upon  them.  The  children  of  God  are 
children  of  light.  Their  heavenly  Father  knows  the  end 
from  the  beginning,  and  he  has  promised  to  reveal  his 
secret  to  his  people  through  his  servants  the  prophets. 
Amos  3 : 7. 

The  apostle  Peter  also  bears  testimony  to  the  same  truth. 

"  We  have  also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy  ;  whereunto  ye  do 
well  that  ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place, 
until  the  day  dawn  and  the  day-star  arise  in  your  hearts,"  2  Peter 
1:19. 

The  dark  place  here  spoken,  of  is  the  future.  The  past 
is  lighted  up  by  history,  the  present  is  brought  to  our 
knowledge  by  press  and  telegraph ;  but  the  future  no 
human  art  or  wisdom  can  penetrate.  Prophecy  throws  its 
gleam  into  those  dark  regions,  yet  unexplored,  and  marks 
out  the  path  of  human  history  centuries  and  ages  before 
it  has  echoed  to  the  footsteps  of  mankind.  When  at  last 
we  pass  along  the  pathway,  we  may,  if  we  will,  recognize 
tlio    waymarks  wet  up  licro  and   there,  every  one  of  which 


iii  ins  oLORious  appearing: 

is  a  monument  to  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God,  and 
the  faithfulness  of  his  word.  Those  who  have  no  eyes  to 
discern  these  things,  no  ears  to  hear,  nor  hearts  to  under- 
stand their  significance,  will  pass  on,  and  the  final  event 
will  come  upon  them  unawares.  Not  so  with  those  who 
take  heed  to  the  things  God  has  spoken. 

We  would  not  detract  an  iota  from  the  force  of  the 
verse  under  consideration.  It  means  all  it  says.  No  man 
knows  the  definite  time  of  Christ's  coming.  The  day  and 
hour,  and  even  the  year  of  the  second  advent  are  purposely 
hidden.  Some  of  the  prophetic  periods  reach  to  the  time  of 
the  end,  while  others  extend  still  farther  down,  very  near  to 
the  end  itself ;  yet  none  of  them  reach  to  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  man.  The  prophecies  clearly  point  to  the  period  of 
the  second  advent,  but  do  not  give  the  definite  time  of  that 
event. 

But  with  this  passage  before  us  we  may  claim  that  it 
would  be  transcending  its  meaning  to  claim  upon  its  au- 
thority that  nothing  should  or  could  be  known  of  the 
approach  of  Chrisfs  coming.  More  than  that,  it  is  not 
inconsistent  with  the  text  nor  improbable  that  prior  to  that 
event  the  Lord  will  in  his  own  way  reveal  that  which  has 
hitherto  been  withheld.  Those  who  claim  that  the  text 
proves  that  nothing  may  be  known  of  the  period  of  the 
second  advent,  make  it  prove  too'  much  for  their  own  unbe- 
lief. As  recorded  by  Mark,  the  declaration  reads:  "But 
of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the 
angels  which  are  in  Heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the 
Father."  If  the  text  proves  that  men  will  know  nothing 
of  the  period  of  the  second  advent,  it  also  proves  that 
angels  will  know  nothing  of  it,  and  also  that  the  Son  will 
know  nothing  of  it,  till  the  event  takes  place!  This  position 
proves  too   much,    therefore  proves  notliing    to    the    point. 


AX    EXPOSITION    MK    MATTHEW    TWENTY-EOUK.  to 

Christ  will  know  of  the  period  of  his  second  advent  to 
this  world.  The  holy  angels  who  wait  around  the  throne 
of  heaven  to  receive  messages  relative  to  the  part  they  act 
in  the  salvation  of  men,  will  know  of  the  time  of  this  clos- 
ing event  of  salvation.  And  so  will  the  waiting,  watching 
people  of  God  understand.  An  old  English  version  of  the 
passage  reads,  *'But  that  day  and  hour  no  man  maketh 
known,  neither  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the 
Son,  but  the  Father."  This  is  the  correct  reading,  accord- 
ing to  several  of  the  ablest  critics  of  the  age.  The  word 
hnow  is  used  in  the  same  sense  here  that  it  is  by  Paul 
in  1  Cor.  2:2:  "For  I  determined  not  to  know  [make 
known]  anything  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified."  Men  will  not  make  known  the  day  and  hour, 
angels  will  not  make  it  known,  neither  will  the  Son  ;  but 
the  Father  will  make  it  known.     Says  Campbell :  — 

"Macknight  argues  that  the  term  known  is  hero  used  as  a  causative, 
in  the  Hebrew  sense  of  the  conjugation  Mphil,  that  is,  to  make  knoicn. 
.  .  .  His  [Christ's]  answer  is  just  equivalent  to  saying,  The  Father  will 
make  it  known  when  it  pleases  him;  but  he  has  not  authorized  man, 
angel,  or  the  Son  to  make  it  known.  Just  in  this  sense,  Paul  uses  the 
term  know,  1  Cor.  2:2:  'I  came  to  you  making  known  the  testimony  of 
God;  for  I  determined  to  make  known  nothing  among  you  but  a  cruci- 
fied Christ.' " 

Albert  Barnes,  in  his  ''Notes  on  the  Gospels,"  says  :  — 

"  Others  have  said  that  the  verb  rendered  knoweth  means  some- 
times to  make  known,  or  to  reveal,  and  that  the  passage  means,  '  that 
day  and  hour  none  maketh  known,  neither  the  angels,  nor  the  Son,  but 
the  Father.'  It  is  true  the  word  has  sometimes  that  meaning,  as 
ICor.  2:2." 

When  the  patriarch's  work  of  warning  and  building  was 
finished,  God  said  to  him,  "Come  thou  and  all  thy  house 
itito  the  ark."  "  For  yet  seven  days  and  I  will  cause  it  to 
rain  upon  the  earth  forty  days  and   forty  nights."     So  wlien 


74  HIS  GLORIOUS  appearing: 

the  waiting,  watching,  weeping,  toiling  time  shall  be  fin- 
ished, and  the  saints  shall  all  be  sealed,  and  shut  in  with 
God,  then,  we  conclude,  will  the  voice  of  the  Father  from 
heaven  make  known  the  definite  time.  See  Kev.  16  :  17  ; 
Joel  3  :  16  :  Jer.  25  :  30.  . 

The  present  is  emphatically  the  waiting,  watching  time. 
It  is  the  especial  period  of  the  patience  of  the  saints.  The 
Lord  appeals  to  us  thus  :  — 

"Watch  ye,  therefore;  for  ye  know  not  when  the  Master  of  the 
house  Cometh,  at  even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  the  cockcrowing,  or  in  the 
morning;  lest  coming  suddenly  he  find  you  sleeping.  And  what  I  say 
unto  you  I  say  unto  all,  Watch."    Mark  13  :  35-37. 

One  of  the  fatal  consequences  of  not  watching  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  in  Rev.  3:3:  — 

"If  therefore  thou  shalt  not  watch.  I  will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief, 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee." 

In  consequence  of  not  watching,  the  people  will  remain 
in  ignorance  of  the  approach  of  that  hour.  And  the  una- 
voidable inference  is  that  by  watching  they  will  be  aware 
of  and  prepared  for  its  coming.  In  answer  to  the  agonizing 
prayer  of  the  Son  of  God,  "Father,  glorify  thy  name,"  there 
came  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  "I  have  both  glorified 
it,  and  will  glorify  it  again."  The  disciples  understood 
these  words  from  heaven,  while  the  people  that  stood  by 
said  it  thundered.  John  12  :  27-29.  So  will  the  waiting 
disciples  of  Christ  understand  the  voice  of  God  when  he 
shall  speak  from  on  high.  But  the  unbelieving  world  will 
not  understand  it.  In  comparing  Noah's  days  and  ours, 
the  Lord  continues  :  — 

NOAH'S   TIME   AND   OURS. 

Verses  38,  39:  "For  as  in  the  days  that  were  before  the  flood, 
they  were  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  until 


AX   EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  O 

the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not  until  the  flood 
came,  and  took  them  all  away ;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man   be." 

A  picture  of  the  present  condition  of  the  mass  of  man- 
kind is  here  drawn.  The  people  of  the  last  generation  will 
be  like  those  before  the  flood,  while  the  ark  was  preparing. 
While  Noah  preached,  and  warned  them  of  the  coming 
flood,  they  mocked.  He  built  the  ark ;  and  they  scoffed  and 
jeered.  He  was  a  preacher  of  righteousness.  His  works 
were  calculated  to  give  edge  to,  and  send  home  to  the  heart, 
what  he  preached.  Every  righteous  sermon,  and  every 
blow  struck  in  building  the  ark,  condemned  a  careless, 
scoffing  world.  As  the  time  drew  nearer,  the  people  grew 
more  careless,  more  hardened,  more  bold  and  impudent, 
and  their  condemnation  surer.  Noah  and  his  family  stood 
alone.  And  could  one  family  know  more  than  all  the  world  ? 
The  ark  was  a  matter  of  ridicule,  and  Noah  was  regarded 
as  a  willful  bigot. 

But  the  Lord  calls  Noah  into  the  ark.  And  by  the  hand 
of  Providence  the  beasts  are  led  into  the  ark  ;  and  the  Lord 
shuts  Noah  in.  This  is  regarded  at  first  by  the  scoffing 
nmltitude  as  something  wonderful ;  but  it  is  soon  explained 
away  by  the  wiser  ones,  so  as  to  calm  their  fears,  and  they 
breathe  easier. 

The  day  of  expectation  finally  arrives.  The  sun  rises 
as  usual,  and  the  heavens  are  clear.  *' Now  where  is  old 
Noah's  flood  ?  "  is  heard  from  a  thousand  impious  lips.  The 
farmer  is  caring  for  his  herds  and  lands,  and  the  mechanic 
is  pursuing  his  work  of  building.  On  this  very  day,  some 
are  being  joined  in  marriage.  With  many  it  is  a  day  of 
unusual  feasting  and  sports.  And  while  all  are  looking  to 
long  years  of  future  prosperity  and  happiness,  suddenly  the 
hoavons  gather  blafknoss.      Fear  fills  every  heart.     The  win- 


76  HIS    GLORIOUS   APPEARING  : 

dows  of  heaven  open,  and  the  rain  descends  in  torrents. 
"  The  fountains  of  the  great  deep  are  broken  up,"  and  here 
and  there  come  gushing  up  rivers  of  water.  The  valleys  are 
fast  filling  up,  and  thousands  are  swept  away  in  death. 
Awful  death  !  made  still  more  horrible  by  being  in  conse- 
quence of  slighted  mercy !  But  where  is  Noah  ?  Ah  ! 
safe  in  the  ark,  borne  upon  the  billows.  Safe  from  the 
flood,  for  God  "  shut  him  in." 

By  some  people,  the  evidences  of  the  soon  coming  of 
Christ  are  considered  insufficient  to  base  faith  upon.  But 
the  testimony  and  acts  of  one  man  in  the  case  of  Noah, 
condemned  the  people  destroyed  by  the  flood.  The  evi- 
dences then  were  sufficient,  otherwise  the  world  would  not 
have  been  condemned.  But  a  hundred  times  more  con- 
vincing evidences  come  pouring  in  upon  us  that  the  day  of 
the  Lord  is  near,  and  hasteth  greatly.  We  follow  down 
the  several  prophetic  chains  of  Daniel  and  of  the  Reve- 
lation, and  we  find  ourselves  in  every  instance  standing  just 
before  the  day  of  wrath.  We  see  the  signs  spoken  of  by 
prophets,  hy  Christ,  and  by  the  apostles,  fulfilling  or  ful- 
filled. And  at  the  right  time,  and  in  the  right  manner,  to 
fulfill  certain  prophecies,  a  solemn  message  arises  in  different 
parts  of  the  world:  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet  in  Zion,  and 
sound  an  alarm  in  my  holy  mountain  ;  let  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  land  tremble  ;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  cometh, 
for  it  is  nigh  at  hand."  Joel  2  : 1.  Wherever  we  look, 
we  see  prophecy  fulfilling.  While  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  the  spirit  of  holiness  are  departing,  spiritual  wickedness, 
like  a  flood,  covers  the  land. 

But  these  evidences  are  considered  insufficient  to  rest 
faith  upon.  Well,  what  kind  of  evidence  would  the  unbe- 
lieving have?  "When  the  signs  of  the  end,"  says  the 
skeptic,  ''are  fulfilled,   they  will  be  so   plain  that  no  one 


AN     KXPOS^ITION    V»K    MAITHKW    TWPJNTV-FOUK.  <7 

can  doubt."  But  if  the  signs  are  of  such  a  nature,  and  are 
fulfilled  in  such  a  manner,  as  to  compel  all  to  believe  in 
the  coming  of  Christ,  how  can  it  be  as  it  was  in  the  days 
of  Noah?  Men  were  not  then  compelled  to  believe.  But 
eight  believing  souls  were  saved,  while  all  the  world  be- 
sides sank  in  their  unbelief  beneath  the  waters  of  the  flood. 
God  has  never  revealed  his  truth  to  man  in  a  manner  to 
compel  him  to  believe.  Those  who  have  wished  to  doubt 
his  word,  have  found  a  wide  field  in  which  to  doubt,  and 
a  broad  road  to  perdition  ;  while  those  who  have  wished 
to  believe,  have  ever  found  an  everlasting  rock  upon 
which  to  rest   their   faith. 

Just  before  the  end,  the  world  will  be  hardened  in  sin, 
and  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  God.  Men  will  be  careless 
in  regard  to  the  warnings  of  danger,  and  blinded  by  cares, 
pleasures,  and  riches.  An  unbelieving  generation  will  be 
eating,  drinking,  marrying,  building,  planting,  and  sowing. 
It  is  right  to  eat  and  drink  to  sustain  nature,  but  the  sin  is 
in  excess  and  gluttony.  The  marriage  covenant  is  holy, 
but  God's  glory  is  seldom  thought  of.  Building,  plant- 
ing, and  sowing,  necessary  for  convenient  shelter,  food, 
and  clothing,  are  right ;  but  the  world  has  gone  wholly 
after  these  things,  so  that  men  have  no  time  nor  disposi- 
tion to  think  of  God,  heaven,  Christ's  coming,  and  the 
Judgment.  This  world  is  their  god,  and  all  their  energies 
of  body  and  mind  are  made  to  serve  it.  And  the  evil 
day  is  put  far  away. 

The  faithful  watchman  who  sounds  the  alarm  as  he 
sees  destruction  coming,  is  held  up  before  the  people  from 
the  pulpits  of  our  land,  and  by  the  religious  press,  as  a 
fanatic,  a  teacher  of  dangerous  heresies ;  while  in  contrast 
is  set  forth  a  long  period  of  peace  and  prosperity  to  tlie 
churcli.       So  tlic  churches  arc  (juictcd   to  slecj).      The  scof- 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  79 

fer  continues  to  scoff,  and  the  mocker  mocks  on.     But  that 
daj  is  coming.     Thus  saith  the  prophet  of  God :  — 

"Howl  ye  ;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand  ;  it  shall  come  as  a 
destruction  from  the  Almighty.  Therefore  shall  all  hands  be  faint, 
and  every  man's  heart  shall  melt.  And  they  shall  be  afraid  ;  pangs 
and  sorrows  shall  take  hold  of  them.  .  .  .  Behold,  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Cometh,  cruel  both  with  wrath  and  fierce  anger,  to  lay  the  land 
desolate  ;  and  he  shall  destroy  the  sinners  thereof  out  of  it."  Isa. 
13  :  6-9. 

Most  dreadful  day !  and  is  it  near  ?  —  Yes ;  it  hasteth  ! 
It  hasteth  greatly !  What  a  description  given  by  the 
prophet !  Read  it ;  and  as  you  read,  try  to  realize  how 
dreadful  will  be  that  day  :  — 

"The  great  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  it  is  near,  and  hasteth  greatly- 
even  the  voice  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  :  the  mighty  man  shall  cry  there 
bitterly.  That  day  is  a  day  of  wrath,  a  day  of  trouble  and  distress,  a 
day  of  wasteness  and  desolation,  a  day  of  darkness  and  gloominess,  a 
day  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness,  a  day  of  the  trumpet  and  alarm 
against  the  fenced  cities,  and  against  the  high  towers.  And  I  will 
bring  distress  upon  men,  that  they  shall  walk  like  blind  men,  because 
they  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  ;  and  their  blood  shall  be  poured 
out  as  dust,  and  their  flesh  as  the  dung.  Neither  their  silver  nor 
their  ^old  shall  be  able  to  deliver  them  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's 
wrath  ;  but  the  whole  land  shall  be  devoured  by  the  fire  of  his  jeal- 
ousy ;  for  he  shall  make  even  a  speedy  riddance  of  all  them  that  dwell 
in  the  land."    Zeph.  1:14-18. 

PiiACE   AND   SAFETY. 

The  attitude  of  the  religious  world  toward  this  most 
important  subject  is  worthy  of  more  than  passing  notice 
both  because  of  its  effect  upon  the  cause  of  truth  and  also 
because  it  of  itself  is  a  sign  of  the  times.  While  it  is 
true  that  many  individuals  in  the  different  Christian  de- 
nominations recognize  with  more  or  less  distinctness  the 
fact  that  we  are  living  in  the  last  days,  with  many  of  these 


80  HIS    GLORIOUS    A1'PEARIN(;  : 

it  does  not  become  a  practical  truth.  Outside  of  these 
there  are  many  who  ridicule  the  idea  as  preposterous  and 
outlandish  ;  and  in  opposition  to  the  message  that  Christ 
is  soon  coming,  raise  the  cry  of,  "Peace,  peace,  when 
there  is  no  peace."  Such  teaching  is  alluded  to  by  the 
prophet  in  Eze.   13:10,   11. 

The  groundwork  of  the  peace  and  safety  cry  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  temporal  millennium.  This  teaches  that 
the  world  is  now  entering,  or  about  to  enter  upon  a  period 
of  universal  peace  and  good  will,  that  the  moral  tone  of 
the  world  is  improving,  men  and  nations  are  learning 
righteousness;  and  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  about  to  become 
the  controlling  principle  in  public  and  private  life.  And, 
further,  this  happy  state  will  continue  for  one  thousand 
years,  which  period  of  time  the  word  millennium  literally 
signifies.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  perhaps,  the  Lord 
will  come.  However,  if  this  doctrine  be  true,  it  will 
make  but  little  difference  to  this  generation  or  to  the 
one  living  at  the  close  of  the  period  whether  he  does  or 
not.  The  verses  we  have  just  considered  which  liken  the 
last  days  to  those  of  Noah  wholly  disprove  this  position. 
In  addition  to  what  Matthew  states,  Luke  gives  a  still 
more  forcible   version  of  our  Saviour's  words  :  — 

"And  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noe,  so  shall  it  be  also  in  the  days 
of  the  Son  of  man.  They  did  eat,  they  drank,  they  married  wives,  they 
were  given  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark, 
and  the  flood  came,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Likewise  also  as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  Lot;  they  did  eat,  they  drank,  they  bought,  they  sold, 
they  planted,  they  builded  ;  but  the  same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of 
Sodom  it  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven,  and  destroyed  them 
all.  Even  thus  shall  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed." 
Luke  17:26-30. 

Paul  writes  in  his  epistles  to  Timothy  as  follows  :  — 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  81 

"Now  the  Spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits,  and  doctrines 
of  devils."    1  Tim.  4:1. 

"This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall  come. 
For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous,  boasters,  proud, 
blasphemers,  disobedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without  natural 
affection,  trucebreakers,  false  accusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despisers 
of  those  that  are  good,  traitors,  heady,  highminded,  lovers  of  pleasures 
more  than  lovers  of  God  ;  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the 
power  thereof :  from  such  turn  away."     2  Tim.  3  : 1-5. 

"But  evil  men  and  seducers  shall  wax  worse  and  worse,  deceiving, 
and  being  deceived."    Verse  13. 

In  very  many  scriptures  it  is  plainly  declared  that  when 
Christ  comes,  he  comes  not  only  to  reward  and  save  his 
people  but  also  to  punish  his  enemies.  Looking  upon  the 
last  days  he  exclaims,  '*  Nevertheless  when  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  ? "  Luke  18  :  8. 
The  idea  of  a  thousand  years  of  peace  and  righteousness 
before  Christ  comes  might  be  dismissed  as  utterly  out  of 
the  question.  But  space  will  be  given  to  one  or  two  passages 
supposed  to  teach  it,  which  will  represent  the  whole  class. 
The  first  and  chief  is  found  in  Isa.  2  :  2-4  :  — 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall 
be  exalted  above  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it.  And  many 
people  shall  go  and  say.  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of 
the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob  ;  and  he  will  teach  us  of 
his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths:  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth 
the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  And  he  shall 
judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall  rebuke  many  people:  and  they 
shall  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into 
pruninghooks:  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
shall   they  learn   war  any  more." 

Almost  the  same  language  is  used  in  Micah  4  :  1-3. 
It   is  enough   to   call   attention   to    the   authorship  of  the 


82  HIS   GLOEIOUS   APPEARING  .* 

propositions  contained  in  the  text.  They  come  from  the 
people.  "Many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye,"  etc. 
Inspiration  asserts  that  in  the  last  days  the  mountain  or 
power  of  the  Lord's  house  or  church  shall  be  established 
in  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  or  civil  power.  Undoubt- 
edly it  will.  Everything  is  tending  to  the  union  of  Church 
and  State  ;  and  the  professed  church  of  Christ  is  riding  on 
a  high  tide  to  civil  power  in  all  lands.  But  farewell  to 
godliness  and  spiritual  power.  When  this  is  accomplished, 
in  a  general  chorus  all  will  proclaim  the  dawning  mil- 
lennium. 

How  the  Lord  regards  the  people  who  are  saying  these 
things  is  shown  in  the  succeeding  verses  :  — 

"Therefore  thou  hast  forsaken  thy  people  the  house  of  Jacob, 
because  they  be  replenished  from  the  east,  and  are  soothsayers  like  the 
Philistines,  and  they  please  themselves  in  the  children  of  strangers. 
Their  land  also  is  full  of  silver  and  gold,  neither  is  there  any  end  of 
their  treasures  ;  their  land  also  is  full  of  horses,  neither  is  there  any 
end  of  their  chariots  :  their  land  also  is  full  of  idols  ;  they  worship  the 
work  of  their  own  hands,  that  which  their  own  fingers  have  made." 
Isa.  2  : 6-8. 

Now  let  us  see  what  God  says  on  the  same  point  and 
concerning  the  same  time  :  — 

"  Proclaim  ye  this  among  the  Gentiles;  prepare  waT,  wake  up  the 
mighty  men,  let  all  the  men  of  war  draw  near;  let  them  come  up:  beat 
your  ploughshares  into  swords,  and  your  pruninghooks  into  spears:  let 
the  weak  say,  I  am  strong.  Assemble  yourselves,  and  come,  all  ye 
heathen,  and  gather  yourselves  together  round  about:  thither  cause  thy 
mighty  ones  to  come  down,  O  Lord.  Let  the  heathen  be  wakened, 
and  come  up  to  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat:  for  there  will  I  sit  to  judge 
all  the  heathen  round  about.  Put  ye  in  the  sickle,  for  the  harvest  is 
ripe:  come,  get  you  down;  for  the  press  is  full,  the  fats  overflow;  for 
their  wickedness  is  great.  Multitudes,  multitudes  in  the  valley  of 
decision:  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decision. 
The  sun  and  the  moon  shall  be  darkened,  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw 


^  .        or 

AN    EXroi^ITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWEI^T^tPMWP*  ^  SI] 

their  shiuiug.  The  Lord  also  shall  roar  out  of  Zion,  and  utter  his 
voice  from  Jerusalem;  and  the  heavens  and  the  earth  shall  shake:  but 
the  Lord  will  be  the  hope  of  his  peo])le,  and  the  strength  of  the  children 
of  Israel."  Joel  3:9-16 

Mark,  this  is  not  what  the  people  say,  but  what  the  Lord 
says  of  the  very  same  time  when  the  people  are  preaching 
a  good  time  coming. 

Another  verse  referred  to,  and  representing  quite  a 
numerous  class  of  similar  ones,  is  found  in  Num.  14  :  21. 

"But  as  truly  as  I  live,  all  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory 
of  the  Lord" 

There  is  no  occasion  to  modify  or  limit  the  meaning  of 
those  words  ;  for  their  utmost  sigificance  will  be  realized 
But  when  ?  —  When  sin  and  the  curse  are  wiped  away. 
After  the  purifying  fires  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  have 
burned  up  the  last  work  and  relic  of  rebellion,  and  the 
earth  made  new  in  Edenic  glory  comes  again  from  the 
hand  of  its  Maker,  as  beautiful,  yea,  more  beautiful,  if 
possible,  than  at  first.  It  would  not  be  within  the  limits 
of  this  pamphlet  to  follow  out  this  subject,  but  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  following  scriptures :  Isa.  65  :  17-22  ; 
2  Peter  3  :  13  ;  Revelation  21  and  22,  and  to  published 
works.  ^ 

In  that  state  this  and  all  kindred  scriptures  will  meet 
a  fulfillment  that  is  ample  and  complete.  But  for  such  a 
condition  of  things  this  side  of  the  coming  of  Christ 
neither  the  Bible  nor  the  trend  of  events  give  any  promise 
whatever. 

Judging  of  the  probability  of  the  conversion  of  the  world 
from  the  facts,  it  would  seem  to  be  far  from  striking.  The 
following  table  gives  a  comparatively  accurate  showing  of 
the  present  religious  status  of  the  world  :  — 

' '  n<.tiu-  of  the  Saved,"  i)rite  10  cts.     Address  publishers  of  this  pamphlet. 


[84] 


PEACE  ON  EARTH. 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  85 

Jews  and  Parsees 15,470,000 

Greek  Catholics 84,136,000 

Protestants 114,815,500 

Brahminical  Hindoos 120,000,000 

Mohammedans 122,400,000 

Roman  Catholics 255,000,000 

Pagans 227,000,000 

Buddhists 482,000.000 

Unclassified 51,050,000 

Concerning  the  very  small  proportion  of  this  number 
classed  in  the  list  of  Christians,  Bishop  Foster  has  very 
aptly  said  :  — 

"There  are  some  who  too  fondly  anticipate  a  millennium.  There 
is  a  lack  of  information  on  the  progress  of  Christianity.  The  facts  are 
misstated  daily  in  pulpits  all  over  the  country.  Ministers  hesitate  to 
present  the  worst  side  for  fear  of  causing  discouragement,  and  they 
create  hopes  that  are  never  realized.  We  are  not  at  the  dawn  of  a 
millennium.  Compared  with  the  work  to  be  done,  the  past  is  nothing. 
Our  children's  children  for  ten  generations  to  come  must  labor  harder 
than  we  are  doing,  to  accomplish  the  conversion  of  the  world.  The 
world's  population  is  1,500,000,000.  Of  these,  Christians  number  less 
than  a  third;  and  half  of  that  third  belongs  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  The  Protestants  number -114,000,000.  They  are  divided  into 
5(X)  sects.  And  this  number  of  their  strength  includes,  also,  all  the 
thieves,  ex-convicts,  the  debased,  besotted,  and  the  speckled  and  streaked 
in   Christendom. "  —  Northwestern  Christian  Advocate  of  Dec.  2,  1885. 

Farther  on  in  the  same  article  the  Bishop  said  :  — 

"Before  us  we  have  the  great  problem  — the  1,100,000,000  of  pa- 
gans to  convert  to  Christianity.  That  is  the  solid  rock  that  looms  up  in 
our  path.  Look  at  it;  see  what  work  has  been  done  in  1800  years,  and 
how  much  is  yet  to  be  accomplished.  In  India,  after  more  than  a 
hundred  years  of  mission  work,  we  have  600,000  native  converts  and 
2,000,000  Christians  among  260,000,000  heathen.  Can  we  remove  that 
solid  boulder  that  is  as  old  as  the  hills?  .  .  .  Our  Methodist  Church  we 
think  the  most  divine  and  ineffable.    "We  boast  that  we  are  going  to  con- 


86 


HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  I 


quer  the  world,  and  come  from  our  palaces  and  princely  farms  to  sub 
scribe  fifty  cents  a  head  for  the  undertaking  I  It  is  a  burning  disgrace 
that  excites  pity  and  disgust." 

And  as  to  the  prospects  for  universal  peace,  the  follow- 
ing recent  statement  of  the  armament  of  Europe  does  not 
indicate  that  the  nations  are  really  contemplating  such  a 
happy  consummation  :  — 


Nation. 

Men. 

Horses. 

Cannon. 

Russia 

1,519,810 
835,000 
856,980 
478,800 

1,850,000 

181,000 
96,000 
58,125 

2,084 
2,022 
1,600 

Germany 

Austria 

England    

France 

The  remaining  states  of  Europe  make  up  with  the  above 
a  total  of  about  6,000,000  men. 

THE  FINAL  SEPARATION. 

Verses  40,  41  :  "Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field  ;  the  one  shall 
be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill  ; 
the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left." 

This  language  shows  the  final  separation  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked.  There  is  no  elaborate  explana- 
tion as  to  how  the  circumstances  will  meet  their  fulfillment, 
but  that  is  not  the  essential  force  of  the  text.  The  line  will 
in  some  cases  be  drawn  between  those  who  are  intimately 
related.  Some  members  of  the  same  family  will  be  taken 
away  by  the  judgments  of  God,  while  others  will  be  left 
to  receive  their  coming  Lord. 

THOSE  WHO  WATCH  WILL  KNOW  THE  TIME. 

Verses  42-44:  "Watch  therefore,  for  ye  know  not  wliat  hour 
your   Lord    doth  come.      But  know  this,  that  if  the  good  man  of  the 


AN   EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUR.  87 

house  had  known  in  what  watch  the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have 
watched,  and  would  not  have  suffered  his  house  to  be  broken  up. 
Therefore  be  ye  also  ready  ;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the 
Son  of  man  cometh." 

The  injunction  to  watchfulness  is  repeatedly  given  by 
our  Saviour  in  connection  with  his  teaching  in  reference 
to  his  second  advent.  These  injunctions  must  apply  es- 
pecially to  those  who  live  in  proximity  to  that  event.  This 
fact  is  convincing  evidence  that  the  Lord  is  not  displeased 
with  those  who  anticipate  his  coming,  and  study  the  word 
in  reference  to  it.  No  one  watches  for  that  which  he  does 
not  expect,  and  indifference  or  aversion  toward  the  com- 
ing of  Christ  is  sure  evidence  of  coldness  toward  Christ 
himself.  If  we  love  Jesus,  we  shall  love  his  appearing  ;  and 
if  we  love  his  appearing,  we  shall  be  eagerly  watching  and 
waiting  for  it.  But  if  we  knew  the  hour  when  he  would 
come,  we  should  not  watch  for  his  coming,  nor  could  we 
with  eagerness  expect  his  coming  if  we  had  no  knowledge 
of  its  approach.  The  course  of  time  has  been  measured  off 
in  definite  periods  down  to  the  beginning  of  the  present 
generation.  The  time  from  the  end  of  the  prophetic  periods 
to  the  coming  of  Christ  is  emphatically  the  waiting,  watch- 
ing time.  Those  who  watch,  as  our  Lord  commands,  will 
eventually  know  the  time.  No  man  will  make  it  known,  for 
it  is  not  revealed  to  man  in  the  Scriptures.  Angels  will 
not  make  it  known,  though  they  may  minister  to,  and  com- 
municate with,  the  children  of  men.  Neither  will  the  Son. 
But  the  Father  will  make  it  known  when  he  speaks  again 
from  heaven. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  unscriptural  and  irra- 
tional course  pursued  by  many  so-called  Adventists  in 
repeatedly  setting  a  time  of  their  own  for  the  Lord  to 
come  has  had  the   effect   to  disgust   many  with  the  whole 


88  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  I 

matter.  This  is  the  enemy's  work.  He  will  seek  thus  to 
obscure  each  truth  by  bringing  it  into  the  shadow  of  re- 
proach. But  it  is  unwise  to  be  thus  misled.  Probably 
there  is  no  prophecy  that  better  describes  the  present  state 
of  unbelief  in  the  world  in  regard  to  the  second  advent, 
caused  partly  by  fanatical  time-movements,  than  the  follow- 
ing : — 

"Son  of  man,  what  is  that  proverb  that  ye.  have  in  the  land  of 
Israel,  saying.  The  days  are  prolonged,  and  every  vision  faileth?  Tell 
them  therefore,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  I  will  make  this  proverb  to 
cease,  and  they  shall  no  more  use  it  as  a  proverb  in  Israel;  but  say 
unto  them.  The  days  are  at  hand,  and  the  effect  of  every  vision.  For 
there  shall  be  no  more  any  vain  vision  nor  flattering  divination  within 
the  house  of  Israel.  For  I  am  the  Lord:  I  will  speak,  and  the  word 
that  I  shall  speak  shall  come  to  pass;  it  shall  be  no  more  prolonged, 
for  in  your  days,  O  rebellious  house,  will  I  say  the  word,  and  will 
perform  it,  saith  the  Lord  God."     Eze.   12:23-25. 

The  burden  of  this  prophecy  is  time  ;  therefore  tlie 
word  here  mentioned  that  the  Lord  will  speak,  will  be 
the  time.     Kev.   3:3,  is  also  to  the  point :  — 

"Remember,  therefore,  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard,  and 
hold  fast,  and  repent.  If  therefore  thou  shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come 
on  thee  as  a  thief,  and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come 
apon  thee." 

Those  who  do  not  watch,  will  not  know  the  hour. 
Those  who  watch  will  know  the  hour. 

The  present  watching,  waiting  position  requires  much 
faith  and  patience.     Says  Paul :  — 

"Cast  not  away,  therefore,  your  confidence,  which  hath  great  rec- 
ompense of  reward.  For  ye  have  need  of  patience,  that,  after  ye 
have  done  the  will  of  God  [in  proclaiming  the  coming  of  Christ],  ye 
might  receive  the  promise.  For  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  that  shall 
come  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry.     Now  the  just  shall  live  by  faith; 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  SO 

but  if  auy  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  uo  pleasure  iii  him. 
But  we  are  not  of  them  who  draw  back  unto  perdition,  but  of  them 
that  believe  to  the  saving  of  the  soul."     Heb.  10  : 35-39. 

Says  James:  ''Be  patient  therefore,  brethren,  unto 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Behold,  the  husbandman  wait- 
eth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath  long 
patience  for  it,  until  he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain. 
Be  ye  also  patient;  stablish  your  hearts;  for  tlie  coming  of 
the  Lord  draweth  nigh."     James  5:7,  8. 

Jesus  says:  ''Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my 
patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  tempta- 
tion, which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world  to  try  them  that 
dwell  upon  the  earth."     Rev.  3:10. 

The  present  position  and  present  duty  of  God's  people 
are  defined  in  Rev.  14:12:  "Here  is  the  patience  of  the 
saints;  here  are  they  that  keep  the  commandments  of  God, 
and  the  faith  of  Jesus. 

THE  FAITHFUL  AND  WISE  SERVANT. 

Verses  45-47:  "Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom 
his  lord  hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give  them  meat  in  due 
season?  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall 
find  so  doing.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  make  him  ruler 
over  all  his  goods." 

In  this  figure,  Christ  is  represented  as  the  Lord  of  the 
household  of  faith  (see  Mark  13 :  35 ;  Heb.  3  : 6),  leaving 
his  house,  and  committing  the  work  of  caring  for  his 
church  to  his  servants.  A  blessing  is  promised  those  serv- 
ants who  are  found  faithfully  discharging  this  duty  when 
their  Lord  comes.  They  are  to  feed  the  flock  of  God, 
over  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them  overseers. 
Acts  20  :  28.  They  must  preach  the  word.  2  Tim.  4  :  2. 
They   should   watch   for   souls  as   they  that  must  give  ac- 


90  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  I 

count.  Heb.  13 :  17.  Tliey  will  not  only  give  meat  to 
the  household,  but  they  will  give  it  in  due  season.  They 
will  preach  the prese^it  truth. 

And  meat  in  due  season  when  Christ's  coming  draws 
near,  will  be  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom.  Verse  14.  It 
will  embrace  warnings,  instructions,  and  encouragements 
pertaining  to  a  message  that  is  designed  and  adapted  to 
prepare  the  world  for  so  solemn  an  event.  Suppose,  for 
a  moment,  that  when  Noah  had  received  his  message  of 
the  coming  flood,  to  give  to  the  world,  he  had  reasoned 
with  worldy  wisdom  that  as  such  a  thing  never  had  oc- 
curred, and  from  all  appearances  seemed  very  unlikely  to 
occur,  and  hence  to  preach  it  would  subject  him  to  re- 
proach, it  would  be  better  to  avoid  any  particular  allusion 
to  such  an  unwelcome  subject.  His  preaching  seemed  to 
excite  only  ridicule.  He  could  retain  his  own  private 
convictions  and  preach  the  ordinary  principles  of  right- 
eousness, saying,  "Do  not  so,  my  brethren."  And  if  the 
people  were  only  prepared  for  the  flood,  that  would  be  all 
that  would  be  necessary.  Of  such  a  course  we  can  say 
two  things.  He  would  thus  have  proved  very  unfaithful 
to  his  trust,  and  the  blood  of  his  fellow-men  would  have 
been  upon  him ;  and  he  would  have  done  just  as  thousands 
are  doing  now.  He  certainly  would  not  have  represented 
the  faithful  and  wise  servant.  So  it  is  now.  A  solemn 
responsibility  is  placed  upon  the  watchmen:  — 

"Son  of  man,  speak  to  the  children  of  thy  people,  and  say  unto 
them,  When  I  bring  the  sword  upon  a  land,  if  the  people  of  the  land 
take  a  man  of  their  coasts,  and  set  him  for  their  watchman  :  if  when 
he  seeth  the  sword  come  upon  the  land,  he  blow  the  trumpet,  and 
warn  the  people ;  then  whosoever  heareth  the  sound  of  the  trumpet, 
and  taketh  not  warning  ;  if  the  sword  come,  and  take  him  away,  his 
blood  shall  be  upon  his  own  head.  He  heard  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet,   and   took  not  warning ;    his  blood  shall   be  upon    him.     But 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  91 

he  that  taketh  warning  shall  deliver  his  soul.  But  if  the  watchman 
see  the  sword  come,  and  blow  not  the  trumpet,  and  the  people  be  not 
warned;  if  the  sword  come,  and  take  any  person  from  among  them, 
he  is  taken  away  in  his  iniquity;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  the 
watchman's  hand.  So  thou,  O  son  of  man,  I  have  set  thee  a  watch- 
man unto  the  house  of  Israel  ;  therefore  thou  shalt  hear  the  word  at 
my  mouth,  and  warn  them  from  me."     Eze.  33:2-7. 

When  Jesus  comes,  the  faithful  servants  will  be  found 
proclaiming  his  coming  and  teaching  the  necessary  prepara- 
tion.    The  Saviour  speaks  of  such  as  "faithful  and  wise." 

1.  He  is  faithful.  As  a  faithful  watchman,  he  will 
give  timely  warning  when  he  sees  the  sword  coming. 
His  work  just  before  the  end,  is  seen  in  the  following 
scriptures  :  — 

"Blow  ye  the  trumpet  in  Zion,  and  sound  an  alarm  in  my  holy 
mountain;  let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  tremble;  for  the  day  of 
the  Lord  cometh,  for  it  is  nigh  at  hand."    Joel  2:1. 

"Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  show 
my  people  their  transgression,  and  the  house  of  Jacob  their  sins." 
Isa.  58  :  1. 

"I  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing  and  his  king- 
dom, Preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season;  reprove, 
rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine.  For  the  time 
will  come  when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine;  but  after  their 
own  lusts  shall  they  heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears; 
and  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be  turned 
into  fables.  But  watch  thou  in  all  things,  endure  aflflictions,  do  the 
work  of  an  evangelist,  make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry."    2.  Tim.  4:1-5. 

2.  He  is  wise.  "He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise."  He 
must  be  wise.  He  will  hold  forth  the  truth  in  its  harmony 
and  beauty,  and  thus  expose  error  and  win  men  to  the 
truth.  When  it  becomes  his  duty  to  "reprove  and  re- 
buke." it  will  l)e  at  a  proper  time  and  place,  and  then 
with  all   ••  loiig-sufferiug  and  doctrine."     He  will  study  to 


92  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEARING  t 

show  himself  "approved  uiito  God,  a  workman  that  need- 
eth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth." 
2  Tim.  2  :  15. 

THE   EVIL    SERVANT. 

Verses  48-51:  "  But  and  if  that  evil  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart. 
My  lord  delayeth  his  coming ;  and  shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellow- 
servants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken;  the  lord  of  that  serv- 
ant shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour 
that  he  is  not  aware  of;  and  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  him 
his  portion  with  the  hypocrites:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing 
of  teeth." 

What  the  evil  servant  says  and  does,  shows  most  clearly 
the  position  and  work  of  the  faithful  and  wise  servant.  The 
evil  servant  says,  "My  lord  delayeth  his  coming,"  be- 
cause the  faithful  servant  is  proclaiming  the  coming  of 
his  lord.  The  evil  servant  smites  the  faithful  servant,  be- 
cause he  teaches  the  soon  coming  of  his  Lord.  The  faith- 
ful servant,  true  to  his  commission  to  preach  the  "gospel 
of  the  kingdom "  to  a  fallen  church  and  a  scoffing  world, 
toils  on,  and  for  this  the  evil  servant  smites  him.  Not  with 
the  fist,  perhaps,  but  with  the  tongue  of  obloquy  and  re- 
proach. That  there  should  be  professed  servants  of  Christ 
engaged  in  smiting  those  who  are  faithfully  warning  the 
world,  need  not  cause  surprise  in  view  of  the  past,  but 
must  cause  sorrow  in  the  heart  of  every  lover,  of  truth. 
The  wicked  servant  says  in  heart,  and  some  are  saying  with 
their  lips,  The  Lord  is  not  coming.  The  world  is  now  just 
starting  out  upon  its  career  of  knowledge  and  enjoyment. 
Where  is  the  promise  or  indication  of  his  coming?  Some 
say.  He  may  come  to-night,  he  may  not  come  in  a  million 
years,  thus  neutralizing  the  truth.  Such  men  will  be  found 
criticising  and  discounting  the  Scriptures  and  subjecting 
tliem  to  the  tests  of  human  philosophy  and  science.     The 


AN    EXPOSITION    OF    MATTHEW    TWENTY-FOUR.  [)o 

only  safety  for  the  people  is  to  look  beyond  such  watch- 
men. Let  them  take  the  Bible  for  themselves,  and  there 
discerning  the  truth,  embrace  it,  and  live  according  to  it. 


CONCLUSION. 

The  impression  prevails  to  some  extent  that  he  wlio 
teaches  tliat  Christ  is  soon  coming  is  acting  the  7'dle  of  an 
alarmist.  If  so,  we  have  seen  that  the  great  Teacher  has 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  class.  No  one  has 
spoken  more  positively  upon  this  point  than  he  has  done. 
He  said,  ''In  my  Father''8  house  are  many  mansions  ;  if  it 
were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you, 
I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself ;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  John  14 :  2,  3. 
There  is  nothing  ambiguous  about  that  language.  A  child 
can  understand  it.  It  means  that  Jesus  will  come  again. 
In  the  remarkable  chapter  we  have  here  reviewed,  the 
Saviour  takes  up  the  subject  specifically,  and  not  only 
affirms  the  fact  of  his  coming,  but  foretells  in  explicit 
language  the  events  which  he  would  have  us  recognize  as 
sigDS  of  the  near  approach  of  his  coming  and  the  end  of 
the  world. 

But  the  message  of  Christ's  second  coming  is  not  sensa- 
tional in  its  essential  character.  It  is  a  solemn,  practical 
truth.  It  is  full  of  warning  and  admonition  to  sinners  and 
worldly  professors,  and  full  of  comfort  to  the  faithful  fol- 
lowers of  (-hrist.  It  is  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures  as  a  fact, 
established  upon  the  word  which  neverJiii^^^^^fa^fteak- 

K^  Of  TB»       ^ 


ALL  HIS  HOLY  ANGELS  WITH  HIM 


AN  EXPOSITION    OF   MATTHEW   TWENTY-FOUK.  95 

ing  of  his  second  advent,  the  Saviour  said,  "Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away." 
Matt.  24 :  35.  To  disbelieve  in  his  coming  would  be  to 
doubt  one  of  the  two  great  features  of  the  gospel  plan. 
What  the  harvest  is  to  seed-time,  Christ's  second  advent 
will  be  to  his  first.  To  doubt  that  he  ever  came  to  earth 
would  be  to  subvert  the  gospel.  To  disbelieve  his  second 
coming  would  nullify  in  the  mind  his  first  coming,  and 
rob  the  sacrifice  of  its  glorious  reward. 

The  apostle  Paul  speaks  of  the  second  advent  as  "that 
blessed  hope."  Titus  2:13.  Jesus  says:  "And  when 
these  things  [the  signs  of  his  coming]  begin  to  come  to 
pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift  up  your  heads  ;  for  your  re- 
demption draweth  nigh."  The  prophet  Isaiah  anticipates 
the  feelings  of  God's  people  who  will  witness  the  event, 
and  expresses  them  in  the  following  manner:  "And  it 
shall  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God ;  we  have 
waited  for  him,  and  he  will  save  us  :  This  is  the  Lord  ; 
we  have  waited  for  him,  we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in 
bis  salvation."     Isa.  25:9. 

At  his  coming,  the  dead  in  Christ  will  be  raised  to  ever- 
lasting life.  The  righteous  living  will  be  changed  to  im- 
mortality. The  hand  of  our  Saviour  will  wipe  away  all 
tears;  "there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor 
crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  ;  for  the  for- 
mer things  are  passed  away." 

Why  should  we  not  rejoice  in  such  a  prospect?  Who 
would  not  welcome  such  a  friend  ?  Who  would  not  rejoice 
in  the  prospect  of  such  a  consummation  ? 

But  it  is  true  that  the  grand  event  will  not  be  attended 
with  joy  alone.  There  will  be  dismay  and  anguish.  For 
while  one  prophet  records  the  exclamations  of  joyful  antici- 
pation, anotlicr  has  foreseen  and   recorded  the    cry    of   de- 


96  HIS    GLORIOUS    APPEAKING  I 

spair.  *'And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men, 
and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty 
men,  and  every  bondman,  and  every  freeman,  hid  them- 
selves in  the  dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains  ;  and 
said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks.  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us 
from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from 
the  wrath  of  the  Lamb  :  for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is 
come;  and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand?"  Kev.  6:15-17. 
A  vast  number  will  thus  lament.  All  who  cannot  join  the 
shout  of  welcome  will  unite  in  the  wail  of  despair.  There 
will  be  but  two  classes  in  that  day.  And  to  one  of  those 
classes  each  one  living  will  belong.  To  which  shall  I 
belong  ?  Solemn  question.  To  which  party  will  you  be- 
long, reader  ?  No  one  can  wait  for  Christ  who  is  not 
prepared  for  his  coming.  Only  the  precious  blood  of 
Jesus  that  cleanses  from  .sin  can  prepare  us  to  receive 
him  and  fit  us  to  dwell  in  his  presence.  Have  you  an 
interest  in  his  forgiving  love  ?  Is  your  peace  made  with 
God  ?  If  so,  his  coming  will  have  no  terror  to  you,  for 
he  comes  to  save  his  waiting  people. 


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FROM.  EDEN  TO  EDEN.— This  book  is  a  most  interesting  study  of  the  more 
important  historic  and  prophetic  portions  of  the  Scriptures.  The  author 
traces  the  world  in  its  career  from  the  time  when  "God  saw  everything  that 
he  had  made  and  behold  it  was  very  good,"  on  through  the  period  while 
"the  earth  also  is  defiled  under  the  inhabitants  thereof,"  to  the  future  glori- 
ous time  when  Christ  says  to  his  followers,  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
"From  Eden  to  Eden"  is  printed  from  new  electrotype  plates,  on  heavy 
calendered  paper  made  especially  for  this  book,  and  contains  264  pages.  It 
is  illustrated  with  numerous  full-page  engravings,  and  furnished  in  two  very 
attractive  styles  of  binding,  at  the  following  prices:  — 

In  a  highly  ornamental  binding $1.*>0 

Plain  binding,  wit.^i  marbled  edges 1.00 

<}REAT  CONTROVERSY  between  Christ  and  Satan  during  the  Christian  l>is- 
pensation.  A  companion  volume  to  "  Patriarchs- and  Prophets."  By  the 
same  author.  This  volume  presents  the  most  wonderful  and  intensely  inter 
esting  history  that  has  ever  been  written  of  the  great  conflict  between 
Christianity  and  the  powers  of  darkness,  as  illustrated  in  the  lives  of  Chris 
tian  martyrs  and  reformers  on  the  one  band,  and  wicked  men  and  persecuting 
powers  on  the  other.  Beginning  with  our  Lord's  great  prophecy  given  while 
viewing  Jerusalem  from  thfe  Mount  of  Olives,  this  book  outlines  the  history  of 
the  whole  dispensation  down  to  the  time  when  "sin  and  sinners  are  no  more ; 
God's  entire  universe  is  clean;  and  the  great  controversy  is  forever  ended." 
This  remarkable  book  contain^  over  700  pp.,  and  26  illustrations.  The  work 
is  handsomely  printed  and  bound. 

Bound  in  five  styles,  varying  in  j^rice  from $4.50  tO  2.25 


PATRIARCHS  AND  PROPHETS ;  or  the  Great  Conflict  between  Good  a  id 
Evil  as  illustrated  in  tke  Lives  of  Holy  Men  of  Old.  By  Mrs.  E.  G.  White, 
author  of  'Great  Controversy,"  "Life  of  Christ,"  and  numerous  other  works 
on  religious  subjects.  This  book  treats  upon  the  themes  of  Bible  history  — 
themes  not  in  themselves  new,  but  so  presented  here  as  to  give  them  a  new 
signifi'^ance.  Beginning  with  the  rebellion  in  heaven,  the  author  shows  why 
sin  was  permitted,  why  Satan  was  not  destroyed,  and  why  man  was  tested  ; 
gives  a  thrilling  description  of  man's  temptation  and  fall ;  and  rehearses  the 
plan  of  redemption  devised  for  his  salvation.  This  volume  traces  the  great 
conflict  between  good  and  evil  from  its  inception  down  through  the  centuries 
to  the  time  of  David's  death,  and  shows  Gods  wonderful  love  for  mankind  by 
his  dealings  with  the  "holy  men  of  old."  The  book  contains  over  760 
octavo  pages.  It  is  printed  from  clear,  new  electrotypes  on  a  fine  quality  of 
tinted  paper.  Its  pages  are  adorned  with  more  than  50  engravings,  over  30 
of  which  are  full-page,  and  many  were  designed  and  engraved  especially  for 
this  book  by  an  artist  in  Paris,  France. 

Furnished  in  four  styles  of  binding,  ranging  from. $4.50  to  2.25 

In  plain  binding,  with  13  illustrations 1.75 

HERE  AND  HEREAFTER,  or  Man's  Nature  and  Destiny,  The  State  of  the 
Dead,  the  Reward  of  the  Righteous,  and  the  End  of  the  Wicked.  By 
U.  Smith.  A  thorough  canvass  of  the  great  question  of  a  future  existence, 
and  the  nature  of  man  in  the  present  life.  Every  text  in  the  Bible  which  has 
any  bearing  upon  these  points,  is  taken  up  and  carefully  explained,  thus  giv- 
ing the  most  comprehensive  view  of  the  subject  that  has  yet  been  presented. 
The  work  contains  444  pages.     In  cloth  covers $1.00 

CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION.— The  most  complete  and  comprehensive  work  on 
the  subject  of  Christian  Education  that  has  ever  been  published.  Starting 
from  the  period  of  infancy,  it  points  out  the  most  successful  way  of  preparing 
the  mind  of  the  child  for  the  work  of  succeeding  years.  The  importance  of 
proceeding  upon  Christian  principles  in  the  work  of  education,  the  nature  and 
kind  of  studies  which  are  best  for  children,  and  the  moulding  influences  of 
home  and  associates,  are  dwelt  upon  in  the  most  practical  and  explicit  way. 
Many  of  the  problems  that  perplex  parents  are  cleared  up  in  this  book,  and 
every  one  who  has  to  deal  with  children  should  procure  and  study  it. 

256  pages  nicely  bound  in  cloth 50  cts. 

STEPS  TO  CHRIST.— This  little  work  by  Mrs.  E.  G.  White  presents  in  a 
simple  and  attractive  manner  the  steps  by  which  the  sinner  may  be  made 
complete  in  Christ.  While  the  book  's  an  excellent  guide  for  inquirers  and 
young  converts,  it  also  contain?  .  wealth  of  counsel  and  encouragement  for 
those  who  are  laboring  with  the  difficulties  th?t  beset  a  growing  experience. 
i$7  pages.     In  neat  cloth  binding 75.  cts. 

HELPS  TO  BIBLE  STUDY.  — A  series  of  Bible  readings,  simple  and  easy, 
designed  as  an  aid  to  the  personal  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  adapted  to  the 
use  of  individuals  or  families  ;  also  a  valuable  assistant  to  Bible  workers. 
The  book  contains  about  forty  readings,  prepared  bv  practical  Bible  workers 
and  teachers,  and  covering  the  most  important  subjects  that  pertain  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  mankind  at  the  present  time.      125  pages. 

In  cloth  binding 50  cts. 

In  paper  covers. 25  cte» 

(JOSPEL  WORKERS  is  a  very  interesting  volume  of  480  pages.  It  outlines  the 
qualifications  that  should  be  possessed  by  ministers  and  all  others  who  would 
win  souls  to  Christ.  It  should  be  in  the  hands  of  all  Christian  workers.  This 
book  can  be  read  and  studied  by  all  classes  with  edification  and  profit. 

In  plain  substantial  binding $1.00 

MINISTRATION  OF  ANGELS,  and  the  Origin,  History,  and  Destiny  of  Satan. 
A  work  of  great  interest  upon  a  subject  seldom  written  upon,  yet  of  great 
importance  to  the  Christian.     Bound  in  paper  covers 20  cts. 


FACTS  FOR  THE  TIMES. —  Containing  historical  extracts,  candid  admissions 
from  authors,  ancient  and  modern,  on  the  live  questions  of  the  present  hour, 
political  and  religious.  A  book  for  these  times.  Revised  to  1893.  A  com- 
plication of  facts  that  are  astounding,  by  students  of  Biblical  and  historical 
research.     340  pages.     In  fine  cloth  covers 76  cts. 

THt  SAINTS'  INHERITANCE,— The  reader  will  here  find  a  very  interesting 
pamphlet  of  82  pages  showing  that  the  future  kingdom  of  Christ,  with  the 
family  of  the  redeemed,  will  be  in  this  earth,  renewed,  restored,  and  regener- 
ated, according  to  numerous  scriptures  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
In  paper  covers 10  cts. 

THE  GOSPEL  IN  CREATION.— A  nicely  illustrated  work  setting  forth  clearly 
and  simply  the  relation  between  God's  work  in  creation  and  redemption. 
The  signs  of  power  and  greatness  that  mark  the  handiwork  of  God  in  the 
visible  universe  are  own  to  be  but  indications  of  the  unfailing  strength  with 
which  he  works  in  the  lives  of  those  who  submit  to  his  will.  The  confirma- 
tion of  the  truths  of  the  gospei  drawn  from  the  study  of  the  creation  will 
Evake  this  book  a  valuable  one  to  all  who  are  watching  with  interest  the 
attacks  that  are  now  made  on  the  authority  of  the  Bible. 

In  cloth  covers 60  etS. 

SACRED  CHRONOLOGY.— A  new  and  revised  t  'Aon  of  a  little  work  published 
by  the  late  Sylvester  Bliss  about  forty  years  ago,  giving  the  chronology  from 
creation  to  the  death  of  the  apostle  John.  Also  "  The  Peopling  of  the  Earth  ; 
or,  Historical  Notes  on  the  Tenth  Chapter  of  Genesis."  By  A.  T.  Jones. 
A  valuable  reference  book.     298  pp.     Cloth  covers $1.00 

LIFE  OF  CHRIST  AND  HIS  APOSTLES.-A  series  of  eight  pamphlets, 
under  the  general  title  of  "Redemption,"  portraying  the  first  alvent  of 
Christ,  his  temptation,  his  miracles,  his  teachings,  his  sufferings,  and  nis  res- 
urrection, and  the  teachings  and  labors  of  Peter  and  Paul.  Here  are  788 
pages  of  most  excellent  reading. 

In  paper  covers 90  CtS» 

SATAN'S  FIRST  LIE  ;  or  Man  in  Death.  A  very  fascinating  poem  of  36  pages 
by  a  well-known  poet  of  Michigan.  The  "  Lie"  referred  to  is  the  one  men- 
tioned in  the  third  chapter  of  Genesis ;  and  though,  as  the  Scriptures  tell,  the 
devil  is  a  liar  and  the  father  of  it,  none  of  his  lies  have  wrought  such  dis- 
astrous consequences  to  the  race  as  the  one  here  pointed  out.  The  reader  will 
hardly  fail  of  being  alike  interested  in  both  the  poetry  and  theology  of  this 
unique  poem.     In  paper  covers 16  cts. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  SECRET  OF  A  HAPPY  LIFE.— By  Hannah  Whitall 
Smith.  *»To  commend  this  work  would  seem  almost  superfluous  ;  and  yet  to 
young  Christians  who  may  not  know  it,  we  cannot  refrain  from  saying,  Buy 
this  book,  and  keep  it  with  your  Bible  for  constant  study,  until  you  have 
thoroughly  mastered,  in  your  experience,  the  secret  of  which  it  tells.  It  will 
transform  the  dark  days  of  your  life,  as  it  has  transformed  those  of  thousands 
before  you  into  days  of  heavenly  light. —  TAe  Evangelist  (N.   V.J. 

In  cloth  covers 75  CtS. 

HIS  GLORIOUS  APPEARING.  —  An  exposition  of  Matthew  XXIV.  This  is  a. 
versj-by-verse  explanation  of  the  Redeemer's  great  prophecy  concerning  the 
Gospel  Dispensation  and  his  second  appearing  in  glory.  96  pages,  with 
20  full-page  illnstrations. 

In  paper  covers,  20  ctS.     Board  covers,  25  ctS.     Cloth  covers. .  .40  cts. 

THE  CHARIOTS  OF  FIRE  AND  IRON;  or,  The  Modern  Railroad  System, 
treated  in  the  light  of  sacred  prophecy.  A  very  interesting  pamphlet  of  i68 
pages.     By  D.  T.  Taylor,  the  well-known  author. 

In  paper  covers 25  ctS* 

THE  REJECTED  ORDINANCE.— A  convincing  argument  to  show  that  our 
Saviour's  remarkable  act  of  humility  recorded  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of 
John,  should  be  literally  perpetuated  among  Christians 10  cts* 


BIBLE  TRACTS. 

SCRIPT [JRE  REFERENCES.— A  careful  compilation  of  proof-texts  on  twenty- 
five  different  subjects  of  great  importance  at  the  present  time 4  cts» 

SPIRITUALISM  A  SATANIC  DELUSION.— This  is  a  scathing  arraign- 
ment of  the  system  of  necromancy  known  under  the  name  of  "  Modern 
Spiritualism  " 4  cte. 

IS  THE  END  NEAR?  — An  8-page  tract  of  great  interest,  giving  numerous 
reasons  for  believing  that  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ  is  at  hand 1  ct. 

CAN  WE  KNOW  1  —  A  tract  of  8  pages  which  proves  most  conclusively  that  the 
numerous  predictions  concerning  the  signs  of  the  times  and  the  second  advent 
may  be  understood 1  ct. 

THE  TWO  LAWS. —  A  clear  and  scriptural  argument  showing  the  difference  be- 
tween the  Ten  Commandments  and  the  ceremonial  law  ol  the  Hebrews, 2  cts. 

THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST.— This  tract  dwells  with  great  force  on  the 
agonies  of  our  Redeemer  in  the  garden  and  on  the  cross,  in  order  to  make  the 
salvation  of  sinners  possible ." 4  efcs. 

THE  SECOND  ADVENT,  showing  the  nature  of  the  Second  Coming,  and  rea- 
sons for  believing  it  near 4  ctS. 

BIBLE  CONVERSION.—  A  tract  of  i6  pages  which  sets  forth  very  clearly  what 
it  is  to  be  born  again,  and  that  without  a  change  of  heart  no  one  can  be 
saved 2  ''ts. 

For  anything  in  the  foregoing  catalogue  address, 

REVIEW  AND  HERALD, 

Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

\*  Complete  catalogue  of  all  the  publications  of  this  House,  in  English  and 
various  otner  languages,  sent  free  on  application  with  stamp.  Correspondence 
solicited. 

• 

PERIODICALS. 

YOUTH'S  INSTRUCTOR.— An  eight-page,  illustrated  weekly  paper  for  youtii 
and  children,  devoted  to  moral  and  mental  culture,  and  especially  designed  as. 
a  companion  to  Bible  study.  It  is  the  best  paper  in  the  world  for  children 
and  youth,  being  free  from  modern  fables  and  sentinientalism.  Sample 
copies  furnished  free. 

Single  copy,  per  year $1.00 

lo  or  more  to  one  address,  per  year 76  ctS. 

Address,  Youth's  Instructor,  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

OUR  LITTLE  FRIEND. —  A  four-page  illustrated  weekly  paper,  devoted  to  the 
best  moral  literature  for  children.  This  paper  is  intended  for  very  young 
readers. 

Single  copies  per  year 50  ctS. 

5  to  10  copies  to  one  address,  each 45  ctS. 

lO  or  more,  each 40  ctS. 

Address,  Our  Little  Fri en^Lt-^*^'! 'J5'S4<^akland ,  Cal. 

THE  HOME  MISSIONARY.— A  twcnty-four-pa^e  monthly  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  home  missionary  work.  Taking  i|  all  in  all  this  is  by  f^r  the 
best  and  cheapest  tnissionary  paper  that  we  know  of.  Send  for  sample 
copies,  which  are  sent  free.      Per  year 25  ctS. 

Address,  The  Home  Missionary,  Vy;"A'i  Creek,  Mich. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


